The outdoors offers a sense of mystery in a society that seems to try to have all the answers.  The outdoors shows us true freedom and a serenity that cannot be found in an urban setting.  I experienced the freedom of the outdoors this summer when I went to Shenandoah National park in Virginia with Mom and brother.  As my journey through Shenandoah I learned the importance of nature and how we should value nature.
   

I went to Shenandoah in the middle of August.  It was only a five hour car drive, but still it felt like an eternity as I gazed out the window passing state by state until we  finally reached Shenandoah National park sign.  Once we reached the North entrance of the park, we drove 40 miles on the Skyline drive.  The Skyline drive is a scenic route that goes all the way through the park. As you drive through the park there were lookouts that had spectacular views showing the vastness of the valleys.  The landscape was quite rocky and tree would grow on top of the rocks like the veins on an old person’s hands.  The temperature was in the 70s which felt oddly on my skin from coming from temperatures the in 90s.  The air was thinner and fresher than I have breathed before.  Although the drive offered spectacular views, hiking offered even more unique glimpses of pure nature.
   

Hiking offered a chance to see untouched nature.  The first hike was to a series of waterfalls.  The hike to the waterfalls was relatively short.  I knew when we were close because I could hear the water cascading down.  Eventually we reached the waterfalls. They were no Niagra falls, but they offered interesting views.  It was a fairly large stream with multiple waterfalls, like cars at an intersection flooding each and every way.  Each waterfall had a different look and it's  own unique sound.  Nature is constantly repeating itself, but yet never is completely identical.
   

On the second hike we ventured to the highest point in Shenandoah.  The hike to the point was much steeper than it was to the waterfalls.  It was about a mile and a half of a rocky uphill battle, but once we defeated it and reached the the peak, I could see endlessly out into the horizon this gave the feeling of freedom.  The air was thinner at the top and the temperature was slightly cooler also.  The sun was blissfully setting into the valley the colors of the sun were a reddish tone on the eternal yellow fireball.  I will never forget how peaceful that moment was and the relaxing feeling nature had offered me in that moment.
    

My trip to vacation to Shenandoah showed me the the value of the nature.  The untouched environment can show us the world in a new perspective in which we have never seen before.  Cities and towns can’t and will never give the same experiences found in the outdoors.  Exploring the outdoors is a passion that I will treasure forever.