High elevation hiking to beat the heat gave the perfect Smoky Mountain experience early this morning. Thick clouds blanketed the mountains. White mist blew across the road as I drove to the trailhead. It felt strange to start a hike going downhill, but to get to Andrews Bald, that’s how it goes. It stands at …
Last Saturday I hiked a trail I’ve avoided because it’s always so crowded. I’m rather averse to crowds in Nature. My quest is solitude in Nature. But starting before sunrise assured a parking space. Which meant getting up at 3.45 am. And leaving my home at 4.45am. I thought I had lost what’s left of …
The headlights illuminated a doe, heavy with her unborn baby; her white tail a flag as she bounded into the woods from the driveway. So alive, so vital. At nearly that exact moment, ten miles away, the beautiful elk mother, heavy with her unborn baby, was struck by a car. As I drove into the …
I feel change coming. Big change. I feel the old ideas and ways fading, dissolving and something new coming; however, I don’t know what ideas will grow from seeds planted long ago. Being in a the threshold of change is challenging. The threshold is a place of transition where we leave one place and enter …
Do I kneel in the mud and allow tears of joy to merge with raindrops on the tender petals of the lady slipper? Do I sing hymns of praise for wildflowers? The thought arises to place my hands in the cool mud and paint my face in solidarity with Earth and all growing things. Maybe …