I love that I can drive 15 minutes from my house and run a 6 mile trail without seeing another soul. I love hearing the birds waking up and squawking to each other and rustling in the bushes. I love seeing pig hunter's vehicles on the way up to the trail head. I love hearing scrambling in the bushes, seeing pig snout signs in the dirt and feeling the rush of wondering if one is going to suddenly charge out of the bushes at me, hoping the hunters haven't scared them to my side of the road. I love the smells; eucalyptus, damp earth, pine. I love the sound of my feet padding on the forest floor and my breath whispering in and out, my heart pumping hard in my ears. I love climbing hard, sometimes walking and the sense of accomplishment when I reach the top of the loop and know that the rest is downhill. I love the twists of the trail that feel like a roller coaster track, back and forth, over little rises. I love focusing on my feet so that I don't trip on a root or a rock. I love the way I go through stages; eucalyptus, Cook pines, ginger, ferns and tropical ash, the terrain and flora changing at every curve. I've lost a lot of my speed since I broke my foot but I don't need to rush through this forest. I can stop and savor and photograph and revel in the beauty, the lushness, the solitude. And I'm still loving my Altra Superior 2.0 and am super bummed they no longer make them.
Altra 2.0 Love
Is this fern big enough for you?
Ginger Root
And into the pines I go
Cook Pine
Morning Glory
Bug
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