Waterfall Essay, Research Paper

Waterfall

Visiting a waterfall, especially on a hot sultry day, can be a favorite way to spend a day. You get in

your car, drive for miles, then get out and walk the remainder of the way to a waterfall. Civilization has

cleared and marked a pathway for you and the many thousands like you that have also come to enjoy

these named landmarks. Rarely do you get to enjoy the natural beauty of one by just stepping out

into your own backyard.

Behind my house, barely noticeable, is a trail leading through the woods to a waterfall. The trail is

narrow but well worn. Any shrubbery that would have grown has been trampled down and all that is

left is a very narrow path, overhung with branches from the trees that mark its sides. As I start down

the trail, I begin to feel the trees closing around me until the house can no longer be seen. I follow the

trail to where it stops at the creek’s edge, approaching quietly so as not to disturb any of the wild

creatures that has come to enjoy the cool fresh water.

I gently cross over the creek using the stones, which show the wear of several previous crossing, so

that I can have full view of the creek and the beauty it possesses. I can hear the rush of the water

long before I see the falls. As I sit down on the big gray slate rock that has been warmed by the early

morning sun, I begin to gulp in the beauty as a starving man would gulp down food. I start my usual

ritual of examining the banks of the creek by gazing down the right side of it first. I notice that the wild

azaleas are in full bloom and that the trees have regained all their leaves. They stand tall and majestic

as if they are soldiers standing guard. My gaze travels up one of the trees to find two squirrels

chattering down at me as if to say “Go away and leave us in peace.” Further down starts the gentle

bend that takes the remainder of the creek from my view.

My gaze shifts to the left side of the bank and there lies an old oak tree that has fallen long ago. It

still lies partially upon its stump so that it looks like the shape of an “L”. Two ducks are using it for a

resting perch. I continue my perusal up the bank to the dogwood trees. Their beauty is awesome.

Their branches, filled with ivory white blossoms, stretch across the creek as if trying to touch the

other side. They remind me of an archway, waiting for someone to walk beneath them. Standing

alongside the bank is a beautiful doe with her newborn fawn. She flicks her ears and raises her nose

to the air as if to catch my scent. I do not move hoping that she will stay just a bit longer. After she

dashes away, my eyes continue their assault of the banks. Slowly it comes into focus, the thing that

has drawn me here day after day. The waterfall!

As I gaze at it, I can feel the coolness and the power of the water as it rushes over the rocks and into

the pool ten feet below. I lay back on my rock and see that the trees have opened their leaves to

allow me a view of the sky. The sky is an azure blue with white pillowy clouds.

I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the waterfall and let it lure me into that nowhere land that

makes me feel as if I totally alone, the lone survivor on this planet. My mind goes oblivious to

everything except for the rushing sound of the water. Slowly other sounds begin to filter through. I

hear the birds singing, the squirrels still chattering away as I continue to lie there totally at peace with

myself.

It seems as if only seconds have passed but I know that it must be hours because I can no longer

feel the warmth of the sun. Slowly I rise, knowing that I must start heading back to the house. I take

one last long look and I begin to wonder, as I have so many times before, will it be here when I come

back again? Will the wild animals allow me to share the waterfall, the creek and the beauty of it all

again with them? I certainly hope so because I can think of no other place I would love to visit so

frequently than the waterfall that is a part of my own