10,000 miles from home: walking in the Valley of Giants

The Styx Valley is full of eucalyptus gum trees, which have stood in the valley for 350 - 400 years. I cannot comprehend that, especially as someone interested in history. Imagine what the world looked like in 1625, and what it looks like now. Think of everything humans have done, good and bad, in the time that these trees have stood in the valley, like the silent giants they are. 

One thing that struck me was how silent the forest was. Moss covered the forest floor, with an array of fungi to be found if you paid close attention, and my group were the only souls around. If you stopped, properly stopped, and focused only on the forest, it came alive around you. There wasn’t the distant roaring of roads, the chatter of others, or any mobile service to distract me from the experience. 

We stopped at the Styx River, and unlike the river in Greek mythology, we were not ferried across to join the land of the dead. If anything, it made me feel more alive. 

We sat by the riverside, and simply listened to the sound of water flowing. I could feel, as the minutes ticked by and none of us made any sign of moving, my worries floating off downstream. What does it matter, my university assignment? And what does it matter if I haven’t decided what I want to do after I graduate? 

Sitting there, by the Styx River, it all seemed unimportant. Man-made worries. 

They stood there when your great-great-great grandparents, who we have long since forgotten the names of, lived and laughed and loved and lost. And died. They were there when your grandparents, your parents, you, came into this world. 

I think that realisation has two beautiful messages inside of it. We are mortal - we take deep breaths of fresh air, wander through forests, feel the warm kiss of the sun, jump over puddles, lean our necks back to watch the heavens pour down on us. We do all of that throughout our lives, and one day, without knowing, we do it for the last time. And then our children will go on to do the same.

And the trees, whilst they age and sometimes fall, see much more than we ever will. And I hope that, in 400 years, a 21 year old will sit by the riverside like I did, will walk the paths and marvel at the beauty of the valley. And the giants will be there, standing silently, long after we have passed into history.