Best for:
Emotional reflection readers, those navigating loss, the naturalist by hobby, those with interest in the geography of grief, and spiritual explorers.
2.What part of your past still echoes the loudest?
The Infinite Loop of Presence:
I head into the wilderness seeking what I know I will never locate indoors. I cannot hold this inside the four walls I call my home. I aim to get outdoors in the woods at least a few times a week, if I’m lucky enough to do so. Out there in the wild I find the only place large enough to hold what’s left of my mother, her memory.
It is not a circular journey and yet it doesn’t follow a straight line either. This is not directed by a typical map. While standing in the mist of the Beach City Wildlife Area, with only my dog by my side, the distance between the past and the physical present collapses.
I am not just a hiker with a dog on a trail; I am a vessel for a connection that I refuse to allow be severed by a physical absence. I go into the woods to keep the things my mother and I loved together alive. Hereby, ensuring the flame of that shared joy doesn’t flicker out in the static of my daily life.
The Spirit in the Current:
The loudest echo from my past is the presence of my mother. She is and always will be the atmosphere of the trail itself. March 25th, 2026 on my recent 2.6-mile trek near Dundee Falls, her presence wasn’t minimized to a memory trapped in a house or a photograph.
I found her walking in the sudden shift of the wind and the steady, rhythmic pulse of the flowing water against sandstone. It is through her I also learned the geography of grief when I realized that I don’t go to the woods to locate her as if she were lost; I go to meet her where she is now. She is the elemental force that guides my way. My mother is the map to my adventures as well as the motivation.
New Views and Old Echoes:
There is a profound purpose in taking her to places she never saw while alive. I typically try to hike as much as I can at least once weekly, but prefer when I can go on multiple times a week at that. This way I can always take her to new horizons and breath-taking views.
While Luna and I navigated the path from the smaller waterfall to the bigger waterfall, I felt her experiencing it right along with us. There is a genuine joy in that exploration; a sense of three souls moving through the Ohio landscape together. Sadly, that joy is always layered with the sharp, cold spray of reality, just like the spray from the cold waterfall misting us. Every time I want to make a comment or a wish to share an awe-struck glance…
I have to remember again that she is only ever going to be with me in spirit, for the rest of my days in this life. The worst part is this moment isn’t uncommon. It is a moment that all new trails I come to explore own claim over. I expect it now I’ve been met with it so commonly, it’s practically second nature. The high of the adventure and the let down of the coming to terms with reality.
The Ebb and the Rage:
My grief is like the water cycle that ebbs and flows. A diagram of it would show something similar to the streams linking the multiple Dundee waterfalls.
There are days when the current is weak, a gentle background hum that accompanies my steps. Then, like clockwork, the rain comes. Followed by a grief that rages like an overflowing watershed after a brutal Ohio thunderstorm.
I have learned that the raging waters are just as much “her” as the whispers in the wind are. The pain of that realization is a persistent, patient force motivating my movement and continuing my momentum.
As I continue to move forward walking through it, I am letting the water carve the rocks of my heart and soul. I am working to make more rounded instead of sharp edges. The “gone-ness” one day will hopefully feel more like a natural part of the scenery.
Acceptance in the Mist:
Can you point to it on a map? Maybe locate its address, the latitude and longitude coordinates if nothing else? Sadly, again… no.
Acceptance isn’t a destination to point to on a world map; it’s the waterfalls straying mists hitting your face when you stand too close to the falls. It’s a full body realization. It is all I get: the joy of the trek and the weight of the loss.
In my journal, I usually come back to ask myself again what lesson these repetitive moments are aiming at teaching me. The answer I come back to after trails like that of Dundee falls is that grief like water never stays the same. Though, the river always remains.
Yes, my mother’s physical form is gone, but her echo is as permanent as the Black Hand Sandstone making up Ohio’s geology. I find her by moving forward into the wild because that is where my memory of her lives most vividly. Every mile I drive and every following step I force myself to take are the evidence that love doesn’t stop when life does: it just changes its form.
Trail Reflections for the Soul:
- The Vessel: Your body and breath are the primary tools for carrying those you’ve lost into new spaces.
- The Sound of Grief: Whether it is a trickle or a roar, mimics the sounds of water. This is a reminder that your emotions are a natural, necessary cycle.
- New Horizons: Taking a lost loved one to a “new” place is a way to continue your story together rather than just re-reading the old chapters.
- Spirit in the Wind: Look for the “echo” in the elements that leave no scars, like the wind in the trees and the light on the creek.
Grinding through the Emotional Reflections Journaling Work:
Next time you are on the trail, try to be the person who notices the small things, not just the small waterfalls. I mean actually try to notice the spirits of those who visit places with you after their physical life ended as well. Where do you find them in the invisible layers of the environment? Where do you see the geography of grief?
The Geography of Grief:
The water at Dundee doesn’t just flow: it carves its own path and demands space. Flowing water, currents are a persistent, patient force that has spent thousands of years shaping the sandstone into ravines.
My mother’s spirit has become part of that geology, I just replaced the flow of water with grief. She is in the soft winds that move through the leaves and the spray that hits my face when the current is high.
The reality is I don’t go into the wild to find her as if she were lost. I go to the places her memory almost can convince me she’s alive. Cherish your loved ones; one day all you may have are the places where their spirits come alive. I locate my momma’s energy by moving forward into the wild; that is where our story continues.
Take the Journey with You – Waterfall Confessions:
If this reflection resonates with your own walk through grief or other emotions, you can now own the full Waterfall Confessions Collection. Available as a digital download and a self printable collection for only $2, links provided to direct purchase at the end of post.
I am sharing three entries as deep dives into how I use my own journal collections for emotional support. I do plan to share one more prompt from this specific set as a final sneak peek inside. You can read the first one here.
This specific emotional reflection journal is designed to be versatile with you in mind. I have tried to provide you with the ability to use this while you are physically on the trail, for post-hike reflections at home, or even to process memories of places you visited long ago. While also being usable digitally and accessible to easily print on your own.
Near the back of the collection, you’ll find a dedicated space to track the locations you’ve reflected on. This is provided to help you keep your reflections and adventures organized.
Don’t front I have quite a few other emotional and creative journals planned for you. This one is only the beginning. The upcoming releases like this collection and the one before it were designed to support your endeavors both creatively and emotionally. I do so by providing a structured yet fluid way to navigate creative prompts for art and literature as well as prompts designed to move you through the emotional hurdles life may hand you.
Support a small creative business and begin your own “Waterfall Confessions” today at these current Poeaxtry_ online stores: Etsy, Gumroad, or Payhip.
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