The Waterfalls Essay, Research Paper

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 backyard.