by Siyan Chan (class of 2021)

“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

– Hans Christian Andersen

It was a cool Sunday morning as the students of DVGS sophomore class stepped out of the van, onto the soft muddy ground. We had finally reached our destination: Low Gap Park, where we would be going on a short hike with our English teacher, Dr. Patterson to learn more about the California wildflowers as part of our Ecology module in English class.

We hurried over to join the rest of the hikers, as Cathy Monroe (an educator and environmentalist of Redwood Valley, the organizer, gave a short introduction of the variety of wildlife we would be able to see on the hike. As we started walking along the trail, we were greeted by a gentle breeze and many of us were refreshed by the lush greenery that surrounded us.

Although it seemed like we were enveloped by groves of trees, after learning to observe more closely, we realized that we were actually within an entire community of wildlife, not just trees. We were amazed by the many Banana Slugs that populated the area, and the little Red-bellied Newts that marked their territorial grounds.

A flash of red and black catches our attention, as we watched an Acorn Woodpecker fly off to find its next granary tree. The groves of trees that initially looked no different from one another slowly began to differentiate themselves into various types of oaks and buckeye trees, as we listened to the Cathy’s patient explanation.

Treading along carefully, we were also careful not to step on any wildflowers that grew on the path. Time flew by, and soon we had to end our hike and prepare to head back. Overall, it was an interesting and enjoyable hike on a calm Sunday morning.

Photography: Sola Long (Class of 2021)

Video: Iris Ng (Class of 2021)