If I hadn’t known I was in Ohio, I would have no idea I was in Ohio. The evergreen trees rose up around me. My boot sunk into the mud of the path along the riverside. I breathed in the smell of damp earth. There was not a cornfield in sight. When I first imagined going to college in rural Ohio, I thought of endless flat plains partitioned by dirt roads. There were no trees in this vision, let alone waterfalls. But as I wandered around Mohican State Park my idea of Ohio amended itself. There are natural treasures in rural Ohio if you only know where and how to look.
Resident Ohian and self-proclaimed nature enthusiast, Cooper Bertschi, says his favorite parks to frequent are Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Quail Hollow State Park. These places promise long afternoons spent wandering through forests, scaling rocks, and looking out on rolling hills. They are much-needed refuges from days spent cramped indoors. It’s healing to go out beneath the sky, stretch your legs, and fill your lungs with all too necessary fresh air. Plus, you get really muddy boots in the process.
There is also a forest escape right in Kenyon’s backyard. I have made it a priority to take advantage of the BFEC more often. There is nothing better than walking along the Kokosing after a day spent in classrooms intensely thinking. Recently, I explored the pine grove which was planted by an environmental science class way back in the ye olden days of Kenyon. The trees are arranged in straight lines creating corridors along the hill. At sunset, the light filters in between the tree limbs and you can hear as they rustle in the breeze. It felt like I was on another planet. It was surreal to think that in twenty minutes I would be back in Norton Hall.
The nature preserves with stunning views and trails are easy to love, but the spaces between them have their own beauty too. Over the course of many long drives through the farmland of Ohio, I have grown fond of the hills speckled with barns. There is a quiet elegance to the wide open space. The sky feels so close as the land rolls past in endless waves. It can feel like an ocean of grass interrupted by small-town islands. Deer are often found within the shade of trees and cows roam along their pastures. The odd buildings stand out, paint peeling from dilapidated wood. I find it relaxing to be protected by that vastness, like being insulated by grain. I find peace in the Ohio farmland that I can’t get anywhere else.
While rural Ohio is often synonymous with “boring,” “middle of nowhere,” or “soul-crushingly mundane,” I think it is exactly the opposite. Coming to school here has made me change my mind. The contours of the landscape are beautiful and full of life. It’s easy, with the right mindset, to romanticize the hidden parks and rolling hills. Ohio should be given the appreciation its wilderness deserves.
