nature
The Science and Nature of Wanderlust, tourism, landmarks for nature buffs and more.
A First Snowfall
After stepping outside where suddenly the warm air escapes your lungs and leaves you crisply breathless from the cold… I just found an old journal entry of mine from 2009. I was 21 years old, wide-eyed, in between schooling and spending the New Year holiday in glorious New Hampshire at my Aunt’s house. My journal entry recounts such a beautiful memory, and a dream turned real. This year I got to spend my winter building snowmen, making snow angles and sledding with my younger cousins. And the best of all, seeing snow fall in light, fluffy flakes from the heavens, for the first time ever! The greatest type of rain in my opinion. Having lived and grown up in Southern California, snow was a thing made for the movies. I had seen snow before. A few winters when I was younger, my family went up to Big Bear—a mountain town in California. We learned to kiddy ski, go sledding and have the most epic of all snowball fights. But there was always one thing missing, at least for me. SnowFLAKES. While I had had the opportunity to be in and see snow, I had never actually seen snow fall from the sky. It either snowed the day before, the day after we left, or at night while I was sleeping, and I ALWAYS missed it.
By Rose Rocket5 years ago in Wander
Why Is Littering Bad For You?
This autumn Ian and I have started a new habit. Every morning, we go out for a little walk because it’s healthy and pleasant, provides us a nice wee breath of fresh air, and gives Sophie, a lovely, even if sometimes a bit sulky, husky dog an opportunity to see cows, sheep and other friends and get some exercise with the company of her small pack. Usually we don’t go far, just a few kilometres from home, walking on a quiet country road. Well, actually it’s not always that quiet as we happen to live quite close to a quarry, and pretty much every day, apart from weekends, dozens of lorries drive in and out, turning a quiet country road into a rather noisy, smelly and a bit dangerous highway.
By Saara Tolvanen5 years ago in Wander
Autumn Colors
Fall in New England brings tourists who will travel thousands of miles combined and spend up to $3 billion dollars every year to see the brilliant colors that mother nature provides to the region. For many in the area it is the annoyance of traffic on a weekend day, others will use the income from these visitors to help make it through the winter financially.
By Bradford Manton II5 years ago in Wander
Breathtaking. But not in the way you'd hope.
By the time I get to the viewpoint, my lungs are aching. Not because this is a particularly challenging hike (in fact, by BC's standards it's a pretty easy one), but because of the lingering byproduct of wildfires from the South and to the East, steadily making its way over to us.
By Mike Houldsworth5 years ago in Wander
MEET THE ALASKA NORTHERN LIGHTS
Alaska The Last Frontier and the Land Of The Midnight Sun! Years ago when Alaska was owned by Rusia, Rusia sold Alaska to the United States for Pennies on a Dollar! Only one man thought it was a good place to buy. They call it Sewards Follie, but no one knew how important Alaska was to America. They did not know about all the wealth that Alaska has. Rusia just wanted to make a buck and luckily America bought. Alaska is the 50th state in the union. It is bigger than any state too. Not only Alaska has all this wealth it has the Northern Lights, and it is the Last Frontier. It is also called the Land Of The Midnight Sun! It is called that because there is daylight until way early in the morning!
By rose m lewis5 years ago in Wander
Quarantine in a tent? This is what I learned.. Top Story - September 2020.
I returned to the UK from Austria back in June and was required to wait out a fortnight in isolation. Forced to choose between locking myself in my bedroom or staying in a hostel, I chose to live in a tent instead.
By Alissa Mann5 years ago in Wander
Take a Breather
In today’s society we are almost constantly surrounded by technology such as our desktop computers, laptops, and phones. This environment is present regardless if we are at work or at home. However, spending too much time online is not good for your mental health. That’s why it is good to take a breather and spend time away from the electronics. Even taking just one day away from the internet can have a huge positive impact on your mental wellness.
By Frank Sartain5 years ago in Wander
A different kind of religious experience
The darkness surrounds you, envelopes you with the smell of leaves turning to dirt, the crunch of twigs beneath your feet, and the sound of birds calling to one another across the vastness of the trees. You move through this space with reverence, as a priest might move through a church, with respect and familiarity. This place is sacred, sincere, and you would never dare to disturb the serenity this place has borne for so many. Moonlight filters down through the branches of the trees and you can almost feel the rays gently touching your face, your skin, sinking beneath the surface sending a wave of calm straight to your bones. You trek on silently, the breeze gently pushing you onward toward your destination, spurring you on to one of the only places you feel the most yourself, the one place your soul feels truly at peace. In the distance you see your destination, the spot through the forest where the branches seem to create an archway, leading you like a shepherd would their flock. An old, abandoned temple long since forgotten by civilization, but the forest has not forgotten this place. Unlike people the forest does not discard its past, it turns it into something new, something far more beautiful than it ever was before. Vines have grown on the building, creeping slowly up the walls to replace the ornate decorations once hung so ostentatiously, now the building has a much more subtle beauty. The rows upon rows of unforgiving, wooden benches now have soft moss adorning them, a cushion for those who come here to worship the forest rather than the old customs. Through the cracks in the floor flowers grow, bringing life to this hallowed place. You smile to yourself taking in the appearance of the temple. You move forward toward the alter, your steps reverberating like a heartbeat through the entire structure. It feels fitting to you, you live for the forest, for the simple beauty of the nature found within these woods, within these walls. You reach the smooth stone of the alter, running your hands slowly across the cool, rough surface, the sensation familiar and comforting. You reach down to the bag hanging at your side, the leather worn and familiar, and you pull from it a small bouquet of flowers. You take the ones from the alter you left when you last came, they are withered and brittle now. You replace them with the fresh blooms, the colors seeming to glow beneath the moonlight filtering in through the holes in the roof, and against the backdrop of dark, aged stone, the sight is striking. You take a few more minutes to yourself in the temple carrying with you the old flowers to dispose of later. You sit silently on one of the old pews, relaxing as the quiet hum of the forest lulls you into a state of calm you have not felt in so long. You imagine this is the feeling that drives people to devote themselves to religion, this sense of deep peace and belonging. You consider yourself devoted to this forest, to caring for the creatures within it, and to preserving the peace you find here. You begin to doze off, the moss beneath you a comfortable and welcome cushion after your trip here. The crickets play their music, and the birds sing their beautiful songs creating a gentle lullaby, and you wish you could stay forever. You know you cannot stay though, as much as you would love to, and after some time has passed, you stand, stretching your muscles slowly, collecting your old flowers, walking toward the archway that once held a door. It is time to go home, your time in the forest is over for tonight, but you know you will be back.
By Savannah Aichem5 years ago in Wander
How To explore 5 types of animals in Yala
Yala National Park, the second-largest of its kind in Sri Lanka, is a fantastic place to explore the wildlife in the country. However, only the first and the fifth out of its five blocks are open for safaris. Being one of the oldest national parks, it has become a haven for all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Here's how you can explore the fascinating wildlife in Yala National Park.
By Peaushan Devanarayana5 years ago in Wander
Beaches
Beaches are amazing because when the sunset hits you can see the horizon. I also love the beach because the water is so clear. The best beach that I went to was in Nassau, Bahamas, and Bora Bora Tahiti. I travel a lot around the world. Beaches are my favorite honestly and I would love to live on one. I love taking pictures of the beach, someday I wanna take pictures of people riding the waves on their surfboards with my long lenses on the camera just to get the perfect shot.
By Gracie Crusinberry5 years ago in Wander
