On Thursday, my biology class went back to the Sullivan Park wetland and had the opportunity to get down and dirty in it. Let me say that it is a very different experience to be looking in at the wetland from behind the fence than when you are right in the thick of things. My first task was to get into the wetland. This was much more difficult than I anticipated – the cattails and undergrowth were deceivingly thick. I found that in order to move at all we had to crush some of the plants. That action in itself felt very wrong. Here is a small preserved piece of wetland and what was my right to be invading its space and leaving a trail of broken stems behind me?

The wetland quickly had its revenge on me as I tried to make my way out of the heavily planted area. I headed towards the fountain and suddenly found myself up to my waist in water. I was wearing waist high waders but it was definitely a surprise to find out that I needed every last inch of them to keep me dry. It was an odd experience to feel the water surrounding me, feeling the pressure of the water for the entire wetland press against my legs but to not be getting wet. I could feel the water swilling around me as it took me in its stride as just another obstacle to move around in its journey through the wetland.

There was a strange sense of calm when I finally made my way into the center of the wetland. Even though my classmates were less than 10 feet away from me and I could hear them very distinctly, the plants were so thick that I could not see them at all. It was a very real experience to feel so alone while knowing that others were so close. Had it not been for them, I could have been miles away from any human or any part of civilization for all I knew. I was lucky to be allowed to go to a place where so many others get so close to but can’t quite experience themselves.