Nurture your Nature

M Trail in May

M Trail in May
2011, May 2

1. New steps, sturdy 8x8s, grey gravel. Yellow forsythia seen in the parking lot below; ring of the bell in its tower. The updraft of wind. The eroded edge, a place to sit. A jumble of stone. Branches blocking the path and erosion. Green tufts of grass; last autumn's fruiting; biscuitroot. A black-white dog.

2. A moment's huff-and-puff. A three-leaf clover. Dark earth where soils seeps. A single yellowbell turning brown. Small white flowers, almost hidden. A smell, not of hill, but of town.

3. White peaks to the north; roar of traffic. Violet shooting stars.

4. How green the mountain, how devoid of flowers. A brown poodle. A short climb to

5. A bench. New moss; lichened stone; more yellowbells some yellow-green. A bush island; a path around it. one buttercup with 3 petals clinging; more flowers. An easy climb to

6. Rock outcrop. Brown-green growth of a copse of shrubs. One man in red going down the outer-edge; me climbing on the mountain's side.

7. From here, one notes the empty carpet of the stadium and the wasteland of parking lots. 12 steps up to

8. Fragrant grey-green leaves.

9. A sitting rock, smooth and weathered as if it belongs in water. Orange-grey lichen. Currant. A wire fence to

10. A longer rise to

11. Jutting south; short trek to

12. (six steps) A glance. the world at a slant.

13. ...and catching my breath. A path going south across the mountain. Tiny people below. Danny the dog making friends.

Then the scramble up the mountain along the M as vertigo struck. Crawling on all 4s. The walk across the mountain. Photos at sunset and the long quiet walk home.

Note: there are 13 switchbacks going up 600 feet.

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