Robbie Ludvigsen -- Bamboo Forest Part 2

After about an hour spent throwing rocks my water bottle placed on a train track (it was a lot more fun than it sounds), we found a trail that led to what was once, a very long time ago, a road. It was covered in grass and assorted man-made decorations. Mike informed us that it was an old colonial road. After about ten minutes walking down the road, we turned on to a trail that led us to our ultimate destination.

The trail we found sort of winded itself around some weeds and up a tiny dirt hill. At the crest of two of these dirt hills is where you can finally see the depth of the bamboo forest. There is no organization or order to the bamboo growth. Long, lean bamboo shoots were pointing in every direction, giving the forest a certain menacing quality. The dirt hills transform into several directions you can choose to get through the forest. If you have not ever played in a bamboo forest, I highly recommend it. If a bamboo stem is angled and leaned up against another bamboo, it lends itself nicely to a makeshift trampoline for one. When we were all inside the bamboo, we all felt incredibly fulfilled with our afternoon adventure. Needless to say, the three of us were very entertained by the bamboo forest for a good chunk of time.

All of the paths through the bamboo forest lead to a very eerie clearing. You can faintly hear the roads surrounding the park, but despite that, it feels very isolated. We stood and talked for a while in the middle of the clearing. The idea of camping out there for a night was proposed to approval from the group. I can only imagine what a night spent in a place like that would feel like.

I can truthfully say that the afternoon Mike, Colin, and I spent at Deer Park was one of the most enjoyable days I have had in awhile. This semester was so stressful from the very beginning, and to have a day devoted to eluding that was very rewarding. When I got home that night, I not only felt refreshed, but content. I was not worried or stressed about anything I had to accomplish. I was not even tired, I just felt a very rare sense of relaxation that I had forgotten was possible.

Since that day, I have been back to the bamboo forest twice. I am a little sad I won’t have a chance to visit over the summer, but I look forward to many good times spent with friends in the bamboo in the fall.