Let me tell you about this one time when I felt at peace. The time of the year was late summer. The air was warm and thick with moisture, but still fresh from the forest abundant with tall old hemlock trees. The dirt trail was a mess, completely turned to muck from edge to edge. But the path was starting to get more dry and defined the farther along we got. I’m hiking along with my twin brother, my step dad, and my mother. The once close by beach seemed like just a memory at this point although I could still hear the sound of smooth waves rolling onto the beach. I look down at my boots, and see they are still caked with mud from before. They feel hard against my feet, as I walk on the firm ground beneath me. My whole body is worn out from the constant movement for the past four hours. My shoulders ache with just the thought of putting my heavy bag packed with all of my backpacking gear, back on when we return to the car to retrieve them. This was only the second time I had ever gone backpacking. The first time was in Manistee National Forest, near Lake Michigan. But this time we are a bit more northand in the Upper Peninsula, in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

As we continue on our not so epic journey I notice the trees start to thin out, red and white pines are scattered throughout the hemlocks. The path once again changes consistency. Now the path is starting to loosen up and contain more sand than anything else. I tiredly and openly ask the group that is my family if anyone knows how much further until we get to our destination. "Hey, how much further is it?" My stepdad quickly answers back. “Not too much further.” By this point in our hike I am a bit skeptical we will find the "magical" spot my parents speak of, the spot they had not returned back to in over eight years.

My mind starts to wonder as we proceeded. I mindlessly follow and think, I am thinking about what my older brother is doing. He couldn't come on this week long trip because he couldn't get the time off work. I start imagining what my poor dog Forrest is up too, for I haven't seen him in 5 days now. When I snap back to reality I listen to the air, and now the smooth, light sounding waves are replaced with the booming, sound of waves crashing against the cliff face we were now atop of. The trail takes a slow almost gentle curve towards the edge of this weak, two hundred foot high sandstone cliff. My mother tenses up as we walk closer and closer to the edge. She instructs my brother and I to be careful, and to space ourselves out more. "Boys be careful. That's a long fall. Give each other more room, in case one of you trips and falls." My brother and I just silently nod in agreement with her.

My parents slow to a halt up ahead of my brother and I. I lift my head up and let my eyes focus on what’s before me. There is a small clearing in the trees. The cliff face is clearly visible from where we are standing, the shoreline isn’t straight it’s very curvy. One by one we sat down. I notice that there is a web of roots only a couple of feet from the drop off, and I sit myself down right there, put my aching feet up on the large rock that is off to one side of the clearing, It feels so good to be off of my feet. My hands drift to my sides and find their way into the cooler sand beneath me. The view just blows my mind. I can still hear the crashing waves, they sound loud and powerful like thunder and the sound just seems to carry on forever.

My head feels so much lighter, but not weightless. I feel less stressed and my head feels cleared now. The fog that once clouded my mind has blown away off into the trees. As I sit there just staring off into the scene in front of me I start to notice some of littler things now. The clouds are swirling lightly and changing in the sky. There are small brown sparrows chirping there little song, among the trees.The trees are hanging on to the side of the sandstone for their life. The water isn't just pounding the wall like a drum, its slowly smoothing out the surface. Until it transforms the once rough and jagged sandstone into a practically polished stone. I notice that I’m not alone in the sand. I see little spiders moving around, not touching me just going about their own business peacefully. I start to study the tree im leaning against from the roots all the way up to the limbs, and the leaves dangling at their tips. The bark is rough and holds deep grooves in it, like mini canyons and cracks. The branches are twisted and going every which way possible. The leaves still hold their color, and they seem more alive than ever. they are practically dancing in the wind. Although we all like it there, we couldn’t stay forever, so with the amount of time we spent here in mind, we stood up slowly, and carefully proceeded onto the second half of our thirteen mile journey.

For this portion I thought of it less like some task I have to do just to get back, and more like an experience I was lucky to have. The mindset of all of us had just changed by such a simple thing, and from here on out I always tried to make an effort to stop and enjoy the little things, and appreciate the beauty nature holds.