The 7 Mile Hike- Kendall Verbrugge

In Charlottesville, where I live, there is a 7 mile hike that goes around a reservoir. In the reservoir, you can kayak and paddle-board, but not swim. The hike is pretty strenuous, but very doable and extremely fun. Along the course of the path, there are little monuments and statues with animals carved out and at every mile there is a bench that states the mile and provides a little seat to rest upon. This hike is important to me because during quarantine, my family and I would do this hike every Sunday after online church. It provided an escape from the boring house, and gave us something to look forward to every week. The relief that we felt to be out in nature away from the stuffy boring house was a gift, a place where the world seemed normal. The trail is beautiful. It is surrounded by trees of all different kinds and deer and birds that bring a little bit of joy to the hike. Sometimes, it felt like a burden, walking those miles on a hot day, with stiff legs from sitting around, but the relief and joy felt from finishing made it worth it every time. It is a place where peace lays, as the calming water shines around and the slight crunch of leaves is under you. Nature is a place where I feel calm and it is very special. It is a place where anxieties are calmed and fears are washed away. A place of peace.