Beauty is Dangerous.
I love camping and spending time in the woods, and there is no other place I love better than the shores of Maine. But there are some elements of nature that send me running. I’ve always been too scared. Even watching someone climb a tree gets my knees knocking. If I’m swimming in any natural body of water, be it the ocean or a pond, I know that as soon as my feet stop touching the bottom, a giant shark WILL come attack me. If I climb a tree or scale a boulder it takes me three times as long to get down as it took me to get up because looking down is basically the same thing as falling to my death.
If I were to name my top ten of the most terrifying experiences of my lifetime, one of them would certainly be hiking through Hocking Hills. Fewer things are more nerve-wracking. It's a Siren in tourism form. People flock from all over to see the wonders of the cliffs and trees and waterfalls. Whenever my family goes, my dad is sure to bring his fanciest camera in order to capture the enchantment that is Hocking Hills. All I ever see is danger. The steps and walkways are almost all made of stone, and there is almost always a drop on one side that leads to a gorgeous river that is very far down and probably bottomless. There are waterfalls all over the place, as well. It’s fun to stick your hand in the water, but they’re the most perilous things of all. They splash all over and make the steps and walkways wet, and therefore really slippery. As I walk around, there is almost no protection from the previously mentioned bottomless ravine. There are walls about a foot or so high on the side, but how will that stop me from plummeting to my death? They won’t, that’s what. Although Hocking Hills is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, it’s a miracle that I’ve come out alive every time.
If I were to name my top ten of the most terrifying experiences of my lifetime, one of them would certainly be hiking through Hocking Hills. Fewer things are more nerve-wracking. It's a Siren in tourism form. People flock from all over to see the wonders of the cliffs and trees and waterfalls. Whenever my family goes, my dad is sure to bring his fanciest camera in order to capture the enchantment that is Hocking Hills. All I ever see is danger. The steps and walkways are almost all made of stone, and there is almost always a drop on one side that leads to a gorgeous river that is very far down and probably bottomless. There are waterfalls all over the place, as well. It’s fun to stick your hand in the water, but they’re the most perilous things of all. They splash all over and make the steps and walkways wet, and therefore really slippery. As I walk around, there is almost no protection from the previously mentioned bottomless ravine. There are walls about a foot or so high on the side, but how will that stop me from plummeting to my death? They won’t, that’s what. Although Hocking Hills is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, it’s a miracle that I’ve come out alive every time.