Race Reed April 25, 2026 The Noland Trail in Spring (Free Choice)

 I walked the Noland Trail again recently with some friends and it felt completely different from the last time I wrote about it. Spring has fully arrived and everything is green and loud in the best way. The trail looked almost unrecognizable compared to winter, which I think says something really interesting about how much our perception of a place is shaped by when we encounter it.

I kept thinking about the Koyaanisqatsi film and the contrast it drew between natural landscapes and industrial ones. Walking the trail it's easy to forget that we're in the middle of a city. The water, the birds, the trees doing their thing and it all feels self contained and alive. I think that's exactly the kind of experience this class has been pushing us toward all semester. Not just knowing about the environment intellectually but actually being in it and letting it affect you.


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