Last weekend, I joined my grandpa and parents out at the cabin for the weekend. It is easily one of my favorite places on earth – no cell phone service, no internet, no contact with the outside world. You can forget all of your worries for a couple days. It has always been a place of healing for me to be away from the noise of life and to have more time with creation. I cannot help but marvel at God’s creativity. It is an unusual, incredible feeling to go on a hike by yourself in the middle of nowhere – it can be, in a way, a sort of spiritual experience. I went on a few out there this past weekend. (Twice barefoot, believe it or not! Just to see what it would be like. By the way, hiking barefoot on leaves and moss feels fantastic.) There is a sort of peace and perfection out in nature that you cannot find in a city. There is so much to see out there. I always find something new that I have never seen before.

Here are a few photos from the weekend:

 Above: This is decaying turkey tail lichen growing on moss and a tree.

Above: I really want to know the name of those plants. Does anyone know?

Above: This is trailing arbutus. It is a rare and endangered plant native to Virginia.