Stepping on roots at Boyne Valley Park
Fall is a fantastic season to explore roots and it has been a real treat to learn about new plant secrets this weekend. Today we met at Boyne Valley Park, a quaint location that allowed us to discover the mysteries of roots of several native plants. I felt the chill air and watched the colors of the leaves as folks gathered to our opening circle. Not long after, we hiked down towards a river. We walked along this river as the fish swam in opposite direction; I could smell the wild mint as I watched these fish in aww. Eventually, we crossed the cold river water and headed to some cedar woods.
The sounds of the water hushed into silence and cedar trees surrounded us. It felt calm and quiet in the woods and as we walked we stumbled upon reminisce of coyote bones. Folks asked many questions about these finds. We also had a chance to look at some mystery mushrooms because, there were many mushrooms present in the forests this weekend due to the rainy weather.
Alexis led us out of the cedar forest and into a beautiful open valley. We passed many apple trees and watched many downy wood peckers. Soon we found ourselves digging up Joe Pye weed roots and cattail roots. The feeling of the rich earth as I harvest their roots felt great, I relished this moment under the warm sun. Before lunch, we managed to rinse the dirt off our roots in the river and then sat by a cozy fire to warm up.
At this point, I felt re-energized. We set out in different directions after lunch to find sit spots, with us we had the option to drink a cup of freshly brewed tulsi basil and wild mint tea. After this moment of solitude, to my surprise, we gathered to carefully inspect the roots of a family of blood root plants.
It was time to head back, so we followed the river and soon found a perfect spot to wrap up with a closing circle. This day was filled with such delightful surprises, it felt particularly good to explore so many nature surprises with everyone.
-Annie
