5/17/19:
Today's destination was the Cox Arboretum in Dayton. Provided to us was a worksheet that had a scavenger hunt on it. We were to use it once we got to the arboretum. At first glance, things like the “Edible Garden” and the “Tree Tower” stood out. I expected the arboretum to be very small, very much like a garden. Once we got there, the park turned out to be more expansive than I thought. I soon realized that I had visited the arboretum with my family a couple of years ago, not having memorized the name of the park at the time.
I grouped with a couple of other people and instantly set out. We found the trailhead and decided as a group which trail to pursue. The Tree Tower—in close proximity—caught our attention before we began our hike. I was caught by surprise at the sheer height of the tower. We began our trek up the spiraling stairs. It felt like the air was getting cooler as we made our way up, until finally there were no more stairs to be climbed. Being that high up gives you a very scenic view of the surroundings, a sea of green. We were able to map the trail that we were planning on hiking. Once every little detail had been absorbed, we made our way down the stairs.
After regrouping at the trailhead, we decided to walk on the Yellow Trail, which would cost us about 1.8 miles. We didn’t think of this too much and carried on. On the trail, we had some time to ourselves. I realized that what we were doing was living deliberately; we had a sense of purpose (to walk the trail). We were at freedom to do whatever we wanted, hike whichever trail we wanted, and we made our choice to be on this one. Spending time in an arboretum helps us live more deliberately by giving us a chance to make our own decisions and fulfil them.
There were a couple of things that I noticed that I would not normally; there were many detours we took off the trails that led to often-precarious situations. But this is what added to the fun. It is often these detours you take that lead to something that was otherwise left undiscovered. It turned out that we walked a total of 4.5 miles on a 1.8 mile trail! On the trail, I noticed a cardinal, some ants, a caterpillar, and a turtle in the pond.
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