the hike from hell wins
first with a grizzly loping
(who turned into woods)
then the sunrise view
of the flawless Lake Kathleen
before the ascent
the cloud at the peak?
kind of ruined my dream view
until the descent
the descent from hell
with steep scree the whole way down
even dog is stressed
how to recover?
book hotel three hours down
this horrible road
rainy morning walk
in this lushly green forest
boggy, soggy moss
an afternoon soak
in these hot springs mountains
to stave off the chill
on the best drive home
we saw a family of sheep
we saw views going blue
quick grocery run
reorganizing our camp
dawn: ready to roll
hiking to high tea
(a different version of high)
altitude wins sips
perfect alpine lakes
to start and finish the day
as we drink in views
glacially made mirrors
waterfall motivation
for the long walk down
a triple lake hike
back in the Rockies with pup
and endless blue skies
we’re the post office:
through wind, rain, sleet, clouds… weather
we weather the storm
just another day
in the life we’ve created
in sickness and health
botanic gardens
will forever be compared
to Monte’s beauty
tropical magic
trees and blooms of every shade
giving us NO shade
two thousand years old:
a tree planted by Romans
to bring us olives
on all future trips
beating Madeira? so hard
blue-green amazement
ten thousand stone steps
slippery at dawn, at noon
as mist never stops
ten thousand reasons
to be afraid of this hike,
yet we keep trekking
ten thousand peak views
all in different shades of light
just like our marriage
ten thousand questions
when we married at twenty
look how far we’ve come
post-pandemic flight
the first for me; with my girls
to steal a weekend
beautiful DC:
the center of our country,
sordid past exposed
a bar mitzvah morn
in year five-seven-eight-three
from our first beliefs
a city forest
walking distance from temple
Shabbat salom. Peace.
my happy daughters
finding books, happiness, love
on our girls’ weekend
dock spider, mud, fish;
a small hardwood forest hike
to a man-made lake
you can feel the joy
seeping through this perfect view
of nature, reborn
lakes are in my blood.
i learned to swim in one
and love nothing more
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