Sunlit Late Autumn Walk

It’s amazing what two weeks will do when the seasons change. The last time I visited my favorite hiking trail, most of the trees still had remnants of amber and red foliage. Today, it looked downright wintery. It was 51 degrees, sunny and faintly breezy. It was a perfect late November day.

While the hiking trail is usually packed full of joggers and bicyclists in the summer, I had the trail almost all to myself today. I saw another human being maybe once every fifteen minutes or so, and they were all on bikes and quickly whizzed by. The rest of the time, I had some very peaceful and much-needed solitude.

The water in the little streams are crystal clear and ice cold at this time of year. There are no buzzing mosquitoes or gnats. While I appreciate their vital role in the ecosystem, it’s nice to have a break every once in a while. I know that when spring returns, the insects will return too – and that is as it should be. Today, the trail was nearly silent except for my own footsteps, the breeze blowing through leafless trees, and the occasional call of a lone bird somewhere. I think we all need silence sometimes. I am glad that my cell phone doesn’t work on the trail.

I don’t actually know what these berries are (shame on me for being a Wiccan and knowing absolutely nothing about herbalism). But they are quite festive looking. They made for a nice contrast against the browns of Autumn. I am hoping that the Third Degree priest who wants to continue me Wiccan education will eventually teach me about plants and herbs. I’d like that.

The shadows at this time of year are pretty long even at mid-day (this was taken around 1:40 PM). There’s a slightly orange tint to the sun as we approach the Winter Solstice. It’s pretty .

Water drips over this boulder year round. There are five such rock structures in the first four miles of the NCR trail. I really like how the combination of sun, stone, and water makes for a miniature ecosystem in its own right. Life seems to find a way.

The tree and vines here just struck me as being delightfully sculptural.

It’s good to be able to find life and beauty in every season. This is the time where most of the life-energy returns to the earth. This is the time of shadow. But even in the looming darkness and the impending winter, life continues. Blessed be.