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Forestry

         I don't know what made me remember my forestry class, but it brought back such good feelings, I want to share them. I thought it would be an easy course at the community college, get some hikes in the woods. I was in my 20's still, already had a B.A., so this was just for fun--no pressure to succeed. Boy, was I surprised. It was a real science class!

         The professor did advisory work for land owners. This was just a little side thing for him. He lectured for 3 hours with only a 5 minute break. We wrote notes for the whole class. We had to read a tremendous amount of homework. To understand the current state of forestry in our area, we had to study back to the ice age to see how it affected parts of the world, including ours. What had I gotten myself into? I didn't want to drop out and waste my money.

         The field trips that were short were okay. We walked through some property with the landowner and he explained his land management. What may look natural to you actually takes a good deal of planning to keep it healthy. Nature evolves. Sometimes during class, we'd walk outside and sit in the grass on the hill. It was late spring, so the evenings were still light. He tried to teach us how to tell what it looked like 50 years ago, and what it would look like 50 years from now, if left as is. All I remember now is that nature does not stand still.

         One Saturday, we took a big trip to Skyline Drive and hiked two hours uphill with Boy Scouts and an extension agent studying the deer in the National Forest. I started out trying to keep up with the Boy Scouts. After the two hours, I couldn't stop coughing. I discovered for the first time, that I have pollen allergies. I stayed sick after that for the rest of the summer. At that point the agent and the professor told me that, even though the rest would be mostly downhill, it would be off the beaten trail. I probably should go back. So I hiked back down alone. It took two hours going down. I didn't drive my car, so I sat there without water and coughed and gagged.

         Hours later, they came straggling in from another direction. All of the women looked beat, scratched and dirty. Only the Boy Scouts still looked alive and perky. The men were tired, but not bellyaching. I was glad I didn't continue with them. As it was, the next day, my legs were too stiff to stand up easily.

         The final exam was open book. By that time, half the class members had dropped out. I find it hard to believe that with access to all our notes and all our books, people still couldn't pass the exam. I thought it was hard, and took almost the whole time limit, but I got an A. Whew!

         I worked so hard for that class. I succeeded with only pressure from myself to do so. I appreciate nature so much more now because of the understanding I have of the cycles of life. It was so worthwhile.