Tuesday, August 07, 2012

The Creek


I remember the first time I went there. We walked along the trails and through the forest searching for it. We felt so close, and stopped by the creek to just stare at how beautiful it was, anxious to get where we wanted to go. As we walked along the small pathways, we heard splashing, and people yelling from a distance.

“That has to be it! It’s just over this way!”

We made our way down until the path widened. We could see the clearing up ahead. The sun was beating down on us, without a cloud in the sky, and the water was so tempting. Until at last, we made it. To Sharon’s Creek. The hidden gem tucked away in the forest.

I had lived a short car ride from the creek all my life, never knowing it existed. And upon first discovering it, my first impulse was to tell everyone about how beautiful it is. How they needed to go. And how exhilarating it is. And then my second impulse was to keep it a secret. Because when you’re there, it feels like it’s yours and nobody else’s.

Before we know it, summer will come to an end. It always seems to go by in a flash and all of a sudden, we’re spending our days reminiscing about our favourite summer memories – hanging out at the beach, the warm winds hitting your face during bike rides, campfires at the cottage, summer songs – and we knew that we wanted to remember Sharon’s Creek. And so we did. We made our way down those pathways, trying to remember how to get there. It had been nearly two years, after all. 

And when we stumbled upon that little clearing, and looked down at that water, it felt like ours all over again. We stood there for a moment, looking up at the rope that hung high up in the tree, and knew there was only one way into the water. Only one way to feel refreshed from the summer heat. I carefully made my way down to the platform, noticing how much the land had eroded with time, grabbed onto the rope as if my life depended on it. Because, let’s be honest here, it really did. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach, and swung my body into the water.

And then I did again, and again.



10 comments:

  1. I don't blame you for wanting to keep this spot a secret! It is gorgeous!!! And it looks like you guys had soo much fun xoxo

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  2. This looks like a scene from a nostalgic movie! Love it! Plus, you're so brave. I'd want to do it, then chicken out, then want to, then chicken out, ad infinitum. *sigh*
    Also, great photography!!! Especially love the one of the rope on the left, tree on the right, overlooking the water.

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  3. @Nicole I know!!!
    It's so sad because I know it won't be there forever. The land has eroded so much, it's crazy! You used to be able to walk right down to the rope and now there's a huge drop, and somebody set up a small ladder there and a platform to walk-on so it's safe(r)... And that all happened in just two years! 

    Sebastian and I joked about how old we'll feel when we talk about "back in the day, at Sharon's Creek..." haha :) 

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  4. that looks like SO much fun!! :) I haven't been swimming at all this summer and I'm dying to go! Can I come there??

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  5. This looks AMAZING! I'm so jealous!

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  6. What a lovely place! I can see why you would have conflicting emotions about sharing it with others. Glad you shared this with all of us, and seized that lovely summer day.

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  7. This looks so fun! It reminds me of a place I used to go to with a huge rope swing. My friend used to do double back flips off of it! Just swinging had my heart racing.

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  8. I love that rope swing. It looks so fun! Scary too, but mostly fun! :)

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  9. oh my gosh, this looks like SO MUCH FUN!

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  10. FUN! I've always wanted to go, but never committed.

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