One of the things that I love most about Cornell is the availability of nature. The gorges, the waterfalls, the lakes, the gardens – there are so many beautiful places to visit and experience. I especially love watching the trees change colors in the fall. At home, we don’t really get “fall.”

Even though I feel like I’ve been here a while, there are still so many new places to see. It’s hard to do everything though, because walking down a trail once isn’t really enough to check it off the list. Each walk changes depending on the time of year or depending on what catches your eye.

I enjoyed this morning hike a lot. It was a nice opportunity to take a step away from my usual routine and grab a breath of fresh air. I especially liked learning about how the gorges formed and about some of the campus history.

I had walked over the bridge on Stewart Avenue and admired the view before, but this tour put everything in a new light. I loved learning about the bird’s nest on the cliff and learning about which trees grew where and why.

It’s nice to have a miniature getaway so close to home. I hope that I can take advantage of it more in the future.