Clearing the Way
On Friday the 13th, I went on a killing spree. My victims were hapless tree saplings and other ground vegetation. Imagine a baseball bat with a 12 inch serrated blade on the end of it. A homerun swing easily wiping out several saplings at a time. Three hours of swinging that blade left countless victims in my wake, and was an environmentalist’s nightmare.
But actually, it was for environmental gain that I engaged in such a killing spree.
Voorhees Nature Preserve and its three mile trail along the Rappahannock River are intended to inspire a visitor’s appreciation for nature’s awe. Being located in an area of flourishing vegetation during its most thriving time of year, keeping the trail clear is a real challenge for me and my fellow volunteers. After today’s clearing, I was as exhausted and blistered as I had been in a long time, although it was a very satisfying discomfort. I just hope visitors over the next few days appreciate my labors.
Trail clearing is a violent and noisy task, but I’m a seasoned enough woods walker to know that when approaching a field or water’s edge, it should be done quietly as these type natural attractions afford the best wildlife viewing opportunities. At Voorhees, that attraction is its riverside cliffs - known roosting havens for the all-American bald eagle. A hundred yards before reaching each cliff I’d stop the swinging noises and begin a slow, quiet creep. In doing so, I was rewarded with eight sightings over my three hour visit. Eagle-eyed as they are, they’d spot me long before I spotted them and take flight upon my approach. The size and gracefulness of these birds as they fled took me aback. Simply majestic. At the northern-most cliffs one eagle simply stayed sentry-like, watching over me as I rested. A guardian angel perhaps, on Friday the 13th.
This was my maiden volunteering effort at Voorhees. It’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for over twenty years and it did not disappoint. Not only did the bald eagles take me aback, but this entire place had nature’s awe on full display. It’s an isolated, hard-to-get-to preserve of surprisingly pristine splendor and undulating topography. And if you’re inspired to visit it yourself, please leave now before my trail clearing efforts become quickly overgrown again.
