Halter Shenandoah Waterfall Hike


Topic of Choosing

In class discussions, Dr. Redick has spoken about not tampering with nature when entering the wilderness; into their home. He spoke about how he and other hikers should try their best to leave no mark left behind when exploring the wilderness. This discussion reminded me of a time when a couple friends and I hiked a well-known trail at Shenandoah park that led to a waterfall where we could swim named White Oak Canyon Trail. When we got to the waterfall after hiking for a little bit, we sat our stuff down and went for a swim. When we were done, we returned to our belongings and I mindlessly played with this tree/bush by plucking off the leaves and crumpling them in my hands thinking nothing of it at the time. Well, the following morning when I woke up, my face had blown up in hives; it was extremely swollen and itchy. I went to the doctor that day and it was determined that I had come into contact with poison sumac and I was apparently highly allergic to it. It was an awful two weeks filled with a constant irritable itch, a swollen-puffed up face, and bottles of calamine lotion. If I hadn’t mindlessly been tampering with the wilderness not knowing what my actions were causing to the bush or me, I wouldn’t have suffered from poison sumac. Nature got me with karma, but at least now I know that the wilderness is not my home and while I’m trespassing, I must be careful and mindful of what harm I might cause to the wilderness and myself.  

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