At first glance it’s a stump by the creek.

Stump by the Creek
Photo: Maxwell Odland

A pleasant place to sit and watch the world light up while you wait for sounds of life from the tents a hundred yards to your left.

By all means, sit and watch and wait. But while you do, look a little bit closer.

A Matter of Scale
Photo: Maxwell Odland

Look at the tiny things that make their homes on your seat. The countless mosses and lichens beneath you will live and die where you see them. They strive for the sunlight that’s finally reaching the trees across the creek.

You start to to think about boiling some of that creek water to make breakfast. Meanwhile, unseen fungi spread their microscopic hyphae through the dead wood and myriad invertebrates roam through a tiny forest in their never-ending search for food.

A Tiny Forest
Photo: Maxwell Odland

When you hear your friends stir, go ahead and lift yourself up. Go on with your life. The tiny things that make their tiny homes on a stump by the creek will go on with theirs.