Seven o'clock in the PM and the sun is shining, I've just finished my supper and am driving toward the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. My goal is to go to the top of Sassafras Mt. and watch the sun set. I have plenty of time as I head that way. I always enjoy the drive and meander along thinking of nothing original or creative. Today was no different, just today!
Nearing the mountain top I entered the bottom of a cloud, pretty much took care of any viewing of tonight's sunset - gray is gray! Not wanting to waste an opportunity to enter the woods, I slipped my sockless feet out of my comfy shoes and hopped my way into socks and hiking shoes. Dark is dark! so I retrieved both my headlamp and flashlight from the day pack and pocketed them in my fleece. I'm guessing the sun was shining above the cloud, I could see well enough to follow the trail with no artificial light and walked from the parking area toward Pinnacle Mt. My desire was not to go far, just far enough to become cocooned by the forest. Mission accomplished! That section of trail is down hill and I would obviously climb up hill to return to the trailhead, did not want to go far. Those who are comfortable in the night woods can feel with me the stop and listen. I stopped in the trail and gazed at the still, dark trees pointing up like tombstones marking leaf covered graves and bones of ancient wildlife. No sound stirred from the ground nor surged around lifeless trees. The night shift had not clocked in, and the day shift were waiting for time to go, all animals - silent! The bugs had no hum nor rub. My ears flexed trying to hear a sound, but there was none. My heart beat and my lungs breathed. I turned back, rustling leaves, then quiet. I returned to the car in the near darkness and in the deadly quiet, taking a splinter of the forest with me.
In the woods or on the water,
Turtle
