Finally, managing to slip away from the group, and away from the noisy, windy flagpoles near the entrance, I found a quiet spot and closed my eyes, listening…

Our teacher had told us about recordings that existed of forests from hundreds of years ago, the deep quiet and clarity that existed then, far away from the sounds of vehicles.

Now, in this sacred place, a forest of some 50 hectares, one of the largest stands of boreal forest left in these parts – our teacher led us along the overgrown trail, identifying various species of bush, tree, etc.  Old, unreadable signs were seen here and there – from a bygone era when this “reclaimed” land was considered a testament to responsible stewardship by the old oil companies.

But I was focused on the sound: there were birds here, and insects.  If I concentrated hard enough, I could almost block out the surrounding roadway and vehicle noise and hear the forest – what it once would have been like, in quieter times…

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