Hiking through the eastern American wilderness known as Shenandoah National Park, I've enjoyed the vast expanse of deep natural forest with its varied vegetation and animal life.
One romantically named hill or hollow after another has its special gift: the immense hemlocks of a small area known as Limberlost; the seven or so waterfalls of White Oak Canyon; the worn, rounded crest of the mountain called Old Rag; the dignity of the Appalachian Trail as it winds its way from Maine to Georgia.
Plenty of deer roam a preserve like Shenandoah. For hours I've watched a fawn bedded down safely for the day by its mother in a sun-specked thicket. Bears wander through, and there's great interest and mystery about whether the princely mountain lion has returned. Small animals have their place, too, in the forest ecosystem: skunks, raccoons, chipmunks, salamanders.
