Exploring New Paths

The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards and carry that which is heavy up to the place where dwells the race of gods. More than any other thing that pertains to the body it partakes of the nature of the divine.
— Plato

I had the day off work yesterday and had the most wonderful day all to myself. I had been reading about a Sandhill Crane Festival that was held an hour or so from my home and decided to go and see these birds. Unfortunately, you needed a really long zoom lens or some very powerful binoculars to actually see much of them. Apparently around 5,000 birds are in the area and I could see lots of them from afar. A few flew overhead making this haunting call and I got a few pictures that at least show that I saw some birds! I enjoyed being outside and hearing them anyway!!

Then I went to a Cherokee Removal Memorial that was very moving. What a sad chapter in American history and what a horrible way to treat other human beings.

I finished my day with a couple of hours of exploring some new trails at a new-to-me Nature Park of around 3,000 acres. The trails were awesome! I was going to run around 3-5 miles, but I started out and just kept going. The trails wound around and around and up and back and were just beautiful. Quite a few mountain bikers were taking advantage of the day and I saw one pack of about 5 runners but other than that I had the place to myself.

My favorite area was a pine tree forest that smelled so sharp and clean. Light brown needles lined the path where I ran and darker needles filled the woods under the trees. Occasionally a clump of bright green, newly fallen needles lay across the trail. I picked on up and rubbed it on my hands so I could keep smelling the pine scent as I ran. The trees were fairly close together and the whole area had the feeling of an outdoor cathedral. The quiet was so present and the spiritual nature of the place was something I could almost touch.

I saw one deer with huge ears. It bounded off the trail at my approach but stopped in the woods and turned to stare at me for several minutes as I stopped to gaze into its eyes. It stomped its foot a couple of times and bowed its head and then just stood and looked at me. I love deer and always feel a special kinship to ones that stop like this and share the moment with me.

I left the woods filled with a tiredness in my body and a peacefulness that lasted for hours after I got home. A perfect day!