I love looking into a forest. It doesn’t have to be big, just thick enough that I can’t see whatever is sitting on the other side. I don’t have to be in the forest either, just looking in is enough to fill me up with wonder and curiosity. Recently, I was in West Virginia at the National Conservation Training Center. While walking back one evening to my room, I stopped by my car to grab something. Parked near the edge of a forest, I heard birds calling loudly as I stood there. I looked in. The ground was covered up to eye level in plants of all sorts of shapes, and high above, thick twisting limbs created a green forest ceiling. Looking in, I felt more like I was in the middle of a tropical rainforest than standing on the edge of parking lot. Looking into forests like this one in West Virginia always fill me with a strong urge for exploration. I look at the ground, and I want to know what’s there, hiding behind leaves and under logs. I look at mossy trees and plan my climb up to the canopy, wondering what will be sitting up there, out of everyone’s view. Forests, especially the thick and messy, never cease to leave me in awe and full of curiosity.
Daniel Choi, North Carolina
Student
Daniel Choi, North Carolina
Student