As I recently posted, Monday morning’s 6-mile lumber was an unusually warm one. However, a few hours later, the winds picked up, and the temps dropped as if they were blowing directly from the frigid teat of a witch (the one that lives in a shed just outside of Zama City, Alberta).
With that, Tuesday morning’s 6-mile lumber was a cold one and a full 20˚ colder than the day before. Ahhh… normality. Well, at least weather-wise.
As I approach the bridge over the Mighty Chip that leads to the cock and balls of the trails, I always unclip my camera from my pack and get ready because history tells me that particular section gets a lot of action from thirsty deer and herons doing whatever it is that herons do. And Tuesday did not disappoint.
Just as I reached the bridge, I could see a group of deer in the river taking some sips. Sadly, the bulk of them were just heading into the riverside woods. Luckily, there was one that lagged behind, taking a few more gulps of the frigid river water before strolling up the bank and into the woods, and I was able to get at least one OK shot. It’s not great, but I was happy enough to get something.
I continued on lucklessly, seeing an owl flying through the dark woods, more deer sprinting away from me, blue jays screeching high in the trees out of view, and ducks ducking and swimming too far away for quality shots. Some days, it’s just like that.
As I walked briskly down an otherwise easy trail, I encountered one of the many trees down from the high winds the afternoon before. While my mind knows that they are just old trees in sandy Michigan soil and the high winds brought them down, as I stepped through and around them, my heart couldn’t help but feel that I was living a metaphor for perseverance and endurance. Shit’s not always easy, but you find ways and keep going. Of course, talk to me in six months, and I’ll say, “fuck it, I give up.”
Wednesday
The morning was a clear, cold 27˚ when I pulled into the empty trailhead parking lot. Mist rose off the river, and everything was covered in a thick layer of frost.
As I headed down the main path towards the trails, I took a little creep down to the river to get a shot of a couple geese loudly honking as they paddle along, seeming to be doing nothing but making a lot of noise. I always think that my shots of geese in the mist are going to be awesome, and maybe they could be, but a lack of patience and the want to NOT carry my 4.5 lb. 600mm lens with me usually prevents it from happening.
***
Over the next two miles I didn’t seem much to shoot until I climbed out out of the small river valley and could see a deer down the hill and across the river staring back at me. I took a few shots and then moved on a bit before seeing another deer nearby standing in the heavily frosted weeds 30 seconds later. [NOTE: Once I got home, I looked at my files and saw that there is a second deer up on the bank in the deer photo above (you can barely see its legs in the trees, to the right of the deer’s head), and I think that might be the deer in the photo below. But I’m no deerologist, so who knows.]
I continued on, enjoying the quiet of the woods, hearing nothing but my footsteps in the leaves, breaths, and the occasional rustle of squirrels out hustling for nuts (you do what you gotta do to make a living).
I soon found myself doing mileage math in my head, wondering how I wanted to spread out my lumbers over the week when I was faced with the choice of continuing on the same trail and finishing with 5 miles or hanging a Louie and doing six.
I went with Louie and now have 18+ miles in my feetz in three days, which makes the prospect of doing a 30-mile week more appealing. We shall see.
SOILED CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS
ONE: In Saturday’s post, I alluded to my principles and ways of thinking in a way that, upon re-reading, made me sound like I have all my shit together and think myself a wonderful loving person.
While it’s true that I hold steady with my views and convictions, I in NO way think I’m a great person—at all. There are many issues that I struggle with because there is just too much shit and too many failed attempts for me to deal with or ever fix. The O.G. Mindbender has been trying!
So, long story short, I don’t think I’m a good person, I just believe what I believe, and it appears I need an editor, ain’t nobody got time for this shit.
TWO: On a lighter note, in the same post, I mentioned using crumbled veggie sausage in my breakfast burrito. That is true, but I only picked some up because it’s pretty convenient to make, not because I think it’s healthy or due to the vegetarian diet that I flirt with on occasion like I’m talking to that cougar that works at the deli *makes sexy cat claw motions*.
My go-to sausage is semi-homemade turkey sausage that I make using 93% lean ground turkey, salt (I use 1 gram of salt per 70 grams of turkey), pepper, and poultry seasoning. Today, I picked up some ground turkey, so this coming weekend’s burritos should be back to meaty normal with way less additives and mystery ingredients. Yes, I could buy pre-made turkey sausage, but I don’t like the taste, and they actually have more fat and calories than mine.
Later.