I decided to celebrate Earth Day by driving out to one of the nearby state parks. The part of the country I'm in is one of pocket landscapes; there's nothing huge and sweeping, no sublime vistas, no wildernesses big enough to get lost in. There are, however, a surprising number of small trails good for an afternoon's ramble. Most of them are under a mile or two in length, so I was excited by this trail, which is nearly 3 miles, out and back.
The drive was unexpectedly windy, with strong gusts shoving at the car both coming and going. By the time I arrived I was worried that they might be the leading edge of a front, which around here typically means that rain and thunder will soon slam through the area. I didn't mind the thought of hiking in the rain, but I hadn't brought proper clothing with me, and all I had for the camera was a plastic grocery bag.
As it turned out, there was no rain aside from a few spits; the wind itself was more intimidating, as it made the tops of the bare trees rattle and groan. I kept an eye out for "widow-makers" as I walked, those leaning dead trees and limbs that could come crashing down if the wind hit them just right.
The terrain was not steep, but did have a roll to it, as the trail crossed several small creeks as it paralleled the shore of the lake. It was a harder hike than I'd have liked, due to my lack of regular exercise and hormonal interference, but not bad. It would definitely be worth doing again, on a day when I was feeling less tired.
I saw:
- Gnatcatchers peeping in the trees
- A chickadee
- A heron, which I startled both on the way out and the way back
- Crows
- Vultures
- Swifts or swallows skimming insects above the water
- Ducks
- Canada geese
- A turkey and two deer (on the drive in, not in the park itself)
- Deer tracks
- Fox squirrels
- A chipmunk
- Mayapples
- A morel mushroom
- Three fishermen
- Redbuds blooming
I heard:
- The soft thin cries of the gnatcatchers
- The perturbed calls of crows
- A chickadee's song - and scolding
- The sharp whistle of a chipmunk
- The panicked smack of a heron launching itself into the air
- A bell at a dock across the lake
- The creaking groans of trees rubbing against each other
- The crackling rustle of a small animal hiding beneath the leaves
I felt:
- Buffeted by the wind
- Headachy
- The ground squish beneath my shoes at creeks' edges
- Too warm; thank goodness for layering
- Quiet in my mind
- Anxious about the rising winds on the way back out
- Sunlight on my back

By the way - if you would like any of these photographs made available on Zenfolio, please let me know. It's no trouble at all to upload them.
Posted by: Rana | 2009.04.26 at 02:53 PM