The long walk home

Today, I followed a waterfall home. It was the most delightful walk I have had since I arrived. I was going to take the bus, but I was 10 seconds too late and didn't really want to take it anyway despite the weight of books on my back (a lot of work to be done this weekend). And I realized this morning that my window of opportunity to walk down the gorge was closing for soon it will be too cold, and as the ice hits, impossible to walk down it until it all melts.
As soon as I stepped on to the path, I was in awe. For the bridge that I have driven and walked over many times goes over one of the incredible waterfalls near campus, and I had never actually seen it. I realized that this walk was exactly what I needed. As I listened to some of my Baha'i readings set to music, the rushing of the water was so loud I could barely hear it. After the rain we've had the past few weeks, the creeks are flowing rather quickly and loudly, and it's lovely. Just seeing the evidence of how nature has cut through the rock, the flow of the water, the rapids, and then sudden calm, it's beautiful. I felt so calmed and invigorated watching the water flow. I wanted to run home, put down my bag and go right back up with a camera and better walking shoes so that I could spend hours in that gorge. Luckily, it's right behind my house :), though the entrance to the path is a couple blocks down. But a couple blocks is nothing, the only nature I had a couple blocks from my apt in Columbia was the sewer ditch in Maxcy Gregg Park, which was not exciting at all. Oh and the man-made pond and park that was way too overgrown to be useful for things other than walking dogs.
There were 6 or 7 different falls along the creek as I walked down, a bridge that I walked over that gave a phenomenal view of where I'd been and where I was going. At one point, the drop of the water was so steep it looked like the world just ended (kind of like when you're walking down the terraces, and you're approaching T5 and the bridge across Abbas St., and it looks like you're going to walk right off the edge of the mountain). I loved it. There were immediate changes between rapids and completely calm and still waters, swirling and bubbling and all kinds of power. Amazing. The view would be better going up, because then you can see the falls as you're walking rather than turning around, but then you're walking up too ;). I can't imagine ever riding the bus home if the weather is nice. Why ride on a hot, smelly bus when you can walk in the cool shade next to the water. Who cares if it takes a bit longer? Such beauty should not be bypassed.