Janae Jones-Landscapes of the Sacred

I read about Jack Turner's story in Lane's Landscapes of the Sacred. He experienced terror and awe while viewing the dark torsos on the canyon floor and then realized that they were just paintings left by ancient people. He returned two months later with friends hoping to experience the same feeling he did two months before, but unfortunately was unable to. I can relate to this in many ways. The day we went on the Noland Trail as a class, I came in with a negative attitude because I found it not only stupid but impossible to connect with something that does not speak and better yet has no life. To my surprise I found open water with trees surrounding it and I immediately connected with it. It somehow reminded me of my life in a symbolic way. I wanted to come back in three days to take pictures and to hopefully connect the same way as I did three days prior. While I was walking on the trail I began taking pictures of the leaves changing colors and as I would look at the picture, it did not appeal to me. Everything I photographed meant nothing to me. Not only did the pictures mean nothing to me, but the trail and the water and trees I once connected with I was no longer able to connect with.