We turned right at the stop sign, the last stretch of country road before we turned into the dirt parking lot just outside the preserve. The preserve, a special place to my dad and I, a place where nothing else mattered but discovery. The hustle and bustle of everyday life lifted and a chance to connect with mother nature arrived as we silently hiked through the woods.

This morning was like most summer mornings in South Carolina, cool and foggy, yet a hint of the humidity already sneaking into the shaded forest. We parked the truck, stepped out and grabbed our packs from the back, checking them for the proper gear. Kicked the mud off of our boots on the front tire,s and checked the laces to make sure they were adequately tighten for our hike. Off to the trail without a worry in mind, trading back and forth on taking the lead and stopping at anything that caught our attention. We had hiked this trail countless times but each time always better than the last, always finding new views, seeing new wildlife, or discovering new flora or fauna.

One thing that never changed though was Peachtree Rock, that amazing site along the trail that made our jaws drop every time.

Although the trail is full of beauty, an amazing journey through several ecosystems and a place of peace and serenity, it was that rock that truly kept me coming back. Peachtree Rock a beauty, a wonder, a defeat of gravity always amazed my Dad and me. It was such an astonishing display of nature and its power to make beautiful breath taking structures. The outcrop covered in trees and made of sandstone, was shaped like an upside down pyramid balanced on a small base of crumbling rock. Evidence of the past and a look into what central South Carolina looked like thousands and thousands of years ago. Something that had stood the test of time, and something I could count on being there for generations to come and to enjoy.

All that came to an end just the other week though. Sadly, a place I grew up getting to know and appreciate for its natural beauty and healing powers, changed in a second as Peachtree Rock came toppling over. This news came to me as I open the paper from my local town and in giant letters jumping out at me read, “Toppled Peachtree Rock: serves as a reminder of man’s impact on nature”. Horrified and in disbelief I continued reading to find out what exactly happened.

After further reading, I learned that the rock was believed to have toppled over under its own top-heavy weight. Although this may be true, no one will actually know whether a gust of wind ultimately caused its fall or whether some person with a lack of conscience pushed it over in a show of strength.

The managers of the preserve, after close inspection of the fallen rock, suspect it was pushed.

Over the past years as more and more initials and saw marks kept showing up on the sandstone, fences were built around the rock to help eliminate human impact. The upside down pyramid-shaped rock will remain on its side as a testament to nature’s ability to carve beautiful sculptures, and a reminder of man’s continuous impact on nature.

Peachtree Rock was the most distinctive of the series of sandstone outcrops throughout the preserve. These outcrops were carved by wind and water over millions of years and in the location of what once was the oceanfront. Archaeological digs over the past several years have shown evidence of natives spending time in the area thousands of years before the Europeans arrived.

Although Peachtree Rock has toppled, the other outcrops are still standing and protected from human impact, simply because there is no trail accessing them. Hopefully these remaining outcrops continue to stand reminding us of nature’s power and beauty as well as what Peachtree once was.

I sit here now, beside this sad, once proud and standing rock, wondering what it would say if it could speak. The stories it would tell of ocean front views, of natives huddled under it as it rained in the summer afternoon, of hikers young and old walking by in wide-eyed amazement, or of the day it no longer could stand. Maybe then we could know what actually happened, whether the countless number of initials carved into the stone or the saw marks along the bottom or a strong push or a gust of wind ultimately caused it to fall over.

As I stare at this geological beauty, I can’t help but think even though I loved this rock, I myself helped speed the topple of this outcrop through my childhood adventures there, climbing on and around the outcrop. Yes, even I, the educated one, who loved nature never wanting to harm it, still had an impact. Maybe my trace was minimal, but a trace nonetheless. One thing is certain though, this will forever remind me of the ever-lasting impact we as humans have on this wonderful planet we all call home.

I grabbed my pack from behind the log, stuffed my apple core in the side mesh pocket, and headed off on the trail with a slight distaste in my mouth. Seeing it with my own eyes, the realness of it all, settles in as I hiked away. Never has it been so evident and “in your face” as to our true impact, until now. Speechless, I continued down the trail, further into the woods, into that place of personal healing.

While the cause of Peachtree Rock falling may never truly be known, Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park, had a rock toppled in 2013 with a video to go along with it.

At High Trails Outdoor Science School, we literally force our instructors to write about elementary outdoor education, teaching outside, learning outside, our dirty classroom (the forest…gosh), environmental science, outdoor science, and all other tree hugging student and kid loving things that keep us engaged, passionate, driven, loving our job, digging our life, and spreading the word to anyone whose attention we can hold for long enough to actually make it through reading this entire sentence. Whew…. www.dirtyclassroom.com