I could hear the birds chipping and insect noises as I approached the Ojibway Park and Nature Trail. It was a nature trail of about 105 hectares in Windsor Ontario. Many had described of its beauty but none as I witnessed on that weekend. The people who had spoken about it did not do it justice. When I first held it in sight, I witnessed a majestic, overpowering, and enduring trail waiting to fill me with its freshness and almost healing smells. I had not witnessed anything like it in my life. When I was a small child, I always used to fantasize running across a field with squirrels crisscrossing my path with no care in the world. It was a dream come true and more.
The skies were cloudy and the weather was chilly. It was two in the afternoon in the fall when I visited the reserve. The ground was covered with dead leaves shed from the baron trees. I took a breath of the fresh almost pine or rosemary scent that could make a person decide to spend the rest of their years in this cocoon of perfection and serenity. The birds and the insects humming made me loose time and just want to exist in that moment and time.
The path led us to the observation deck. It displayed an indigenous two feet tall grass that I had never seen before. It was home to many living creatures like snakes, squirrels, and birds. There were birds of different colors flying all over adding more beauty to the dull skies. This grass kept being blown by the wind leaving a whistling sound that was like music to the ears. Research revealed that this grass actually existed in the earlier part of the twentieth century and grew freely in the United States and Canada. The saddest part was that at present it is an endangered species.
The path gave way to several steep steps that led to a prairie. Facing towards north was nothing I had witnessed before. The skies were so still giving visitors a wonderful fulfilling view. The chilly weather was so magical and as I held on to my coat, a bird full of intricate colors flew by me to cloudy skies. In the horizon, there was a formation of Black Oaks that attribute to the coolness and freshness of the reserve. The reserve has an estimate of a thousand trees that greatly benefit the environment by breaking down pollution emissions and reducing the chances of creating a greenhouse effect.
In a moment the most amazing thing happened, a deer emerged from the woods stood in front of me and just stared into my eyes. It was about five three feet tall and had soulful eyes. After a few seconds, it run off to the east into a canopy of baron trees. I was so taken back to see something so flawless and peaceful. It seemed to have no care in the world. I think that’s what the park brought out of everyone who set its course. All over the prairie with hundreds of deer running across the terrain with utter grace. After several minutes, I could always spot a squirrel crossing the path and gnawing over the numerous broken trees and branches lying around. A hundred yards to the south, I happened to notice a strangely looking oak tree that seemed to speak out to me. When I touched it, it had a rather peculiar, rough yet soothing surface. Its bark seemed to be charred and apparently it burns every year to give warmth the soil below. This generosity in the wilderness challenged me.
The reason this park and prairie was so important to me is because at this exact tree is where my father proposed to my mother. Over the years, they kept telling us about this amazing park that they always used to go for dates. My mother never kept quiet about this peculiar tree that they always used to sit under and just keep silent and let nature speak for them. It portrayed simple sincere love that was so naïve yet so pure. This is something that I could associate with my family and this brought more joy than I ever anticipated before coming here. In a few hours, I had to leave, I felt like the snakes, squirrels, and deer were part of my family that I was leaving behind. The skies had grown dark and even though cloudy with the chilly breeze, it made me feel so fresh and rejuvenated. Nevertheless, it was therapeutic to be in the midst of this nature and vowed to come back once again every year.
