Gambles Mills was a therapy session for me. It’s amazing how a hectic week can be so obsolete once you walk away from it. The Richmond bubble was officially skewered the moment I walked on the trail. Those 45 mins took me away from the stress of academic and social life here at UR and put me in a place where I felt more in my element than I have in a long time: the Golf Course. More about that later; let’s talk about NATURE!
The first thing I notice as I stop mid stride on the trail is the extreme juxtaposition it displays in terms of two very different environments on either side of the trail. To the West there was forest, to the East was one of the most beautiful golf courses Virginia has to offer. I look to the West. I see mangled trees fighting for space, dead trees thrown to decay, and hear the soft trickle of a creek that has been muffled by the ever growing pile of woodland debris. Maybe it’s just me, but I preferred to look to the East towards the BEAUTIFUL Country Club of Virginia. It was gorgeous. As an avid golfer pre-college, I simply could not resist a closer look.
I took a quick look at my attire: kakis and a fleece. Done. My outfit had turned into the finest camouflage one could have for the environment I was daring to enter; I felt like a chameleon. Did I dare enter? Is that even a question?!
I took a few cautious steps onto the course and was instantly excited. My pulse quickened and my senses became aware to very specific things such as ground wetness, wind speed, wind direction, and the wind action at the pin about 200 yards down the fairway. I was home. I was in the jungle baby- my jungle. I took a few minutes to soak in the absolute gorgeous nature of the course: the fairways were cut to 1/3 inch (PGA grade) and, judging from this, the greens almost certainly have the possibility to run as fast as they want. I sought higher ground to take in my surroundings further. As I approached my destination, I noticed other members of the jungle- a few 13 year olds whose swings needed much maturing. I quickly lost interest in their doings and sought to ensure my own survival. I honed in my senses and instincts from built up experience in said ‘jungle’ and quickly identified the one resource I needed to survive (at least for the short term): Water. I saw the water dispenser I was looking for from almost 400 yards away. It was just a speck from my view upon the hilltop, but I knew very well what it was. I continued to look around and saw a pavilion most likely installed so that golfers can quickly take shelter from a fast approaching thunder storm or downpour. To me, it was shelter. I was set. From a hunter/gatherer standpoint, I was home. The jungle had everything I needed for survival; I was ready to be king.
Too bad we had to go back to class.
yep, that's me
