Walking north on the Appalachian Trail from Pine Grove Furnace, I thought of the Chesapeake Bay. The snow on the ground, I knew, would melt and some of it would run into the nearby streams and then flow into other ones, eventually making its way to rivers that empty into the Bay that is part of a larger Atlantic Ocean ecosystem.
My morning destination was Pole Steeple, an ol’ rocky crag that’s been a friend of mine for a couple of decades. Using the AT and then descending Pole to the paved back road below makes it a nice 6 mile walk.
Rocks, streams, rivers, trees, … how we use the land … how we not abuse the land … how we protect nature …
Way up here, the ocean’s health begins:
A few handfuls of cashews and swallows of water were nourishment, the natural splendor feeding my soul. They say it’s good to walk down memory lane. Walking to Pole Steeple brought back many memories along the way: free climbing the front face with cousins, sliding/sledding on our butts after a winter storm, seeing a copperhead in the rocks with a friend, and wine and summer sunset followed by camping with my bride.
Water is life. I believe that. Love of the land is too. Many things are important in life. Many things are not.
As I started going down, the daydream of someday owning a little cabin in these parts entered my mind and pulled on my heartstrings. These hills and waterways are important to my life.
At Laurel Lake, I saw that the ice was not thick enough for fishing. Another memory popped up: eating pickled pig’s feet from a jar with a Peace Corps friend!
The mountain streams were running crystal clear. I hoped that the Chesapeake Bay was healing this year.
