urban environment assignment -tk

The best thing about sitting down and enjoying nature is the peaceful atmosphere it brings. Most people like the silence whilst walking through an empty park or forest. It relieves stress, anxiety, and allows you to ponder over problems in peace.

Everett Crowley Park is a massive park filled with many trees. I go there to talk short walks often because it’s fairly convenient for me to access. Full of lush greens and tall trees that tower over you, it’s the perfect spot to just walk around and think. In the late afternoon around 4:15, I went to the park when it wasn’t too sunny or dark. There’s a lot of shade in the park because of the trees, so everything wasn’t that bright either way. Walking through the forested park calmed me down, it was tranquil, besides the chirping of the birds, rustling of trees, and sounds of the lake. When you first enter, the most noticeable thing is the tall trees and lakes. There is a lot of green, everything within your view is mostly green due to the lanky trees.

The dirt trails are set out for you to walk, so the ground isn’t too uneven despite the uphills. As Vancouver’s fifth-largest public park, there is much to discover as you tread further into the forest. Different species of birds and flowers, the vast amount of lakes, and the wood logs laying on the ground, each with a different story to tell. Like the logs we saw in Central Park, there are many in Everett Crowley Park as well; the most interesting thing I like to observe is the way they were cut or grown. Some grew on a nursing log, some hacked down using an axe. Everything about the living things that live in the park is different. People in the neighbourhood built birdhouses for the birds, so they all flock there and you can really see the different species that inhabit the park.

Due to the number of trees foresting the park, it smells like timber and damp moss; a pleasantly different smell from the city. The temperature is rather cool because of the shade, and wind-cold. The dirt trails mould to your shoes, sinking in just slightly but holding firm. To keep the park accessible, the trails were dug evenly. I see other people here occasionally, but there has never been a big group of them. Because it’s in the neighbourhood, many can just walk or bus here as it’s near many bus stops. I personally bus here or walk around thirty minutes. As a way to clear my head, like many people, I take walks here to get away from the bustling streets just as others do when they take hikes.