“I just want the world to give nature the opportunity to survive.”
Freddy Mella
I am not sure exactly who Freddy Mella is. Admittedly I didn’t spend more than a few minutes looking. Googling Freddy comes up with many cool quotes by him, but nothing to say why so many are quoting him. It really doesnt matter. It’s a good quote so it get’s the nod for this weeks edition.
This quote goes very well with the above picture. That is one tree’s roots growing through the base of another tree. That is tenacity. It appears that nature is surviving and willing to fight to survive.
That tenacity is on both tree’s parts. The roots are slowly winding there way to where they believe they should be. The tree keeps growing up, but at the same time starts to envelope the roots. It appears that neither one is allowing the other to change the course that they; or nature intended.
I spotted this tree doing something I have never done. I walked a portion of the trails that I mountain bike the most. Trying to come up with a number of times that I have ridden past this tree/root combo would easily have to be in the hundreds, but I saw it for the first time ever on Saturday.
It was a pleasure to walk these trails and see things from a different perspective. there were many things that I truly saw for the first time. Knowing that I have ridden past such beauty gave me a new appreciation for Fairmount Park. The park is entirely in the city of Philadelphia but there are only portions that let you know that.
As a suburbanite I actually go to the city to mountain bike because they are the best trails close by. For my friends that are city dwellers it is a quick retreat away from the concrete jungle.
Through the bicycle industry and my personal journeys I have had the pleasure of riding a mountain bike in many parts of the world. The trails at Fairmount Park rate as a contender for some of the great trails. It flows well, has enough technical portions to keep it fun and it is accessible. Honestly if you went on vacation and the locals in France, Switzerland, or California took you to these exact trails but in their locales, you would come home raving about how amazing your ride was while on vacation.
Having company on my walk and seeing things through a fresh set of eyes was enlightening as well. I always chuckle at the “You ride your bike over this?” question. It gives people an appreciation of what I like to do, and they point out things that I might have never seen.
The walk also contained a healthy dose of one of my favorite creekside activities. Skipping rocks. I learned that it is quite easy to skip a rock from one side of the Wissahickon creek to the other. It’s also pretty easy to shoot a rock up the banks of the other side with a satisfying clatter of rock crashing into rock.
In a previous edition of the rambling I implored you to STOP and look around at your surroundings. I took my own advice and experienced someplace I really enjoy from an entirely different perspective. I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. This could pertain to many things, my ride, my commute, my view above the top of my keyboard.
Perhaps its time I stopped looking around and started Seeing more.