I went to North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve this weekend. Before I got there, I felt drained from a busy and emotional week, and I hoped that a walk would help me clear my head. Everywhere I looked, flowers painted the landscape with purples, yellows, whites, pinks and oranges. Poppies spilled down valleys between basaltContinue reading “Wildflower Weekend Wonder”
Tag Archives: Hiking
Coyote
Between dark and light, As the owl sings its melancholy melody, You appear. First formless, Then my eyes discern your shape, Gray against gray. I freeze. You still. Our gazes lock. I wonder at your lush tail, your vulpine visage. You size me up, ready for a challenge. Something wild and untamed moves within me.Continue reading “Coyote”
The feather
Dear Bird, I found your feather today on my walk Lying against the crisp brown late-summer grass. I wonder: Did you pluck it purposefully from your skin, Because it had lost its usefulness? Or was it torn from your wing in a dispute With another raptor? Did it shake loose in a tussle With yourContinue reading “The feather”
The mountain’s perspective
The mountains offer not only comfort, but also perspective on the never-ending cycle of life and death.
A small gesture for a grand planet
I headed out into the cool morning down roads I have never traveled, towards a destination I had never seen, to gather with people I have never met to help make the earth a slightly better place. I saw a sign a few weeks ago during a hike at San Felasco Hammock Preserve State ParkContinue reading “A small gesture for a grand planet”
Wild
When I go to the woods, I discover Tiny purple flowers, Bird songs, Bones. I find equanimity, Communion, Calm. When I go to the mountains, I leave behind Businesses, Meetings, Phones. I shed expectations, Worries, Fears. When I go to the wilderness, I take A water bottle, Rain clothes, Boots. I bring resilience, Wonder, Joy.Continue reading “Wild”
An ordinary day
My father would have been 77 this week, but he passed away almost 23 years ago when he was 54. The suddenness and swiftness of his death left the whole family bereft, and we still miss him. Although he died relatively young, my father did a great many things, and some of those things IContinue reading “An ordinary day”
TMB Part 11: The ladders and beyond
We had hiked 100 miles, and on this day, we would only hike about four more. But the trail guide suggested it would take us about three hours, all of it straight up another mountain. And we would have to climb ladders. I had seen images of the ladders – narrow, metal-runged contraptions rising verticallyContinue reading “TMB Part 11: The ladders and beyond”
TMB Part 10: The Hustle
After passing back into France, we only had two nights left. We descended 3,000 feet into the top part of the Chamonix Valley to Tre-le-Champ and the Auberge de la Boerne, a small inn that looked as if it had been around for several hundred years. The auberge sported wooden beams, low ceilings and narrowContinue reading “TMB Part 10: The Hustle”
TMB Part 9: Peak experience
After two days of fog and rain with little to no visibility, we gladly welcomed the sunshine back. The town of Trient glowed in the morning as we marched through and down the road, once again to ascend up another mountainside. We found our way to Col de Balme, where we were rewarded with spectacularContinue reading “TMB Part 9: Peak experience”
Things I've Learned Along The Way 