Nature's spirit

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks     John Muir

AUBURN, Maine - You can sometimes hear the clanging of picks and shovels off in the distance as you make your way up the mile-and-half trail to Mt. Apatite - a slice a heaven located next to the National Guard Armory.

Besides the park's natural beauty and challenging trails, the mountain's eye-opening quarries, which were mined for commercial feldspar during the 1900s, are teaming with catfish and the huge blocks of stone are lined with majestic trees.

My son and I spent Easter Sunday afternoon roaming the woods and getting lost for about 20 minutes as we headed away from the huge quarries.  Since this family is dry-docked on poverty row thanks to an inept Congress, greedy speculators and traders and poor leadership at the top, we decided to ponder our fate in the woods.

I didn't panic and neither did my son, who acted as a guide as these two lost souls made their way back to the quarries without incident or having to make an embarrassing cell phone call to authorities.

We bumped into a couple of older gentlemen who spent the afternoon with pick and shovel, looking for rare stones. There are many amateurs who spend hours on the mountain digging for precious minerals. These fine gentlemen could easily pass for determined miners out to strike it rich. My next-door neighbor, Dan, also spends his time pounding away at the rocky soil on Mt. Apatite. He is an amateur geologist who would give a professional a run for his money.

As we hiked around the park for the first time this year, we noticed small patches of snow holding out in the shady areas of the park. Most of the lowlands were flooded by runoff and relentless April showers. The trails were muddy and small streams of water cut through the paths, making it slippery going for hikers on a mission to get  to the quarries.

Environmentalist John Muir believed nature could also serve as a place to worship. While I am not a religious person, the long hikes with my son and being surrounded by the pristine woods often serves as my cathedral and a way to strengthen my bonds with my family and nature's magnificence.

After setting our compass straight, this duo found themselves back at the edge of the quarries' dangerous cliffs. There is about a 30-foot drop to the cold and murky waters below. This is also the perfect perch to lob giant boulders into the water. Suddenly, I am like a rambunctious teen. I joined my 14-year-old son as we bombarded the still water below.

As we prowled the cliffs, another hiker came upon a large brown porcupine cleaning itself on a ledge below the cliffs. Anthony and I moved in closer to snap a picture and take

some footage our prickly friend, which was a bit unnerved as we snuck up on him to take a bird's-eye view of this remarkable creature.

Anthony and I downed our flavored water and watched catfish swim around the flooded quarries before reluctantly heading down the mountain after our two-hour visit with nature.

I have been taking to the woods for years with my young son, and I have come to understand what Mr. Muir felt when he said," Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Two hours on a quiet mountain with my son was enough to lift my spirits and rejuvenate my soul.