The oaks are the undisputed giants of this ecology.
–––
Standing tall, writhen with age and twisted to the weather, they seem somehow immemorial.
Yet, all of this majesty was once contained within the promise of an acorn such as this.
This seed before me is the result of a great spring flowering, and now the branches of these arboreal dwellers hang low to the earth weighed down with the kernel of the next generation.
It seems as if these slow oaks are bowing to the honor of the earth in which they grow.
A sudden gust of wind sets a million leaves dancing and the whole landscape shimmers to its own ineffable aliveness.
At my feet lies a branch, soft and rotten with the ages, as it returns gracefully to the source.
The oaks have suddenly revealed all their generations to me as this place travels into the Autumn of its very being.
Photo: Cork Oak acorn at Los Tornos. Courtesy of the author.
About Neil Hill
Neil Hill is one of Europe’s top outdoor, wilderness and survival coaches. He believes that our modern disconnect from nature has led to many of our personal, physical and social problems. He has led courses into some of the worlds most hostile and wild environments. His passion is to reconnect people with their aboriginal roots in nature, enabling them to have adventures and experiences that unlock their massive potential, Neil is the founder of Rewilding Bushcraft.
