A Poem, Some Pics

~ theceaselessreaderwrites

Given the schizophrenic weather we’ve been experiencing in recent months, I thought this poem appropriate for the occasion, and seeing as how it’s about the seasons, I reckoned I’d throw in a few pics from hikes I took in 2 different seasons.  Enjoy, and please do let me know what you think.

Changing Seasons

Snowflakes feather down,
gray frozen land a paler
shade of winter sky.

Crispèd leaves cascade,
blanketing sleepy ground with
motley red, gold, brown.

Silver raindrops slash,
sun-drenched sky, lamb-lion winds
waken vernal earth.

Molten sunbeams bathe,
hammering all with heat while
heavy eyelids droop.

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This first set is from the Stone Door Trail in the South Cumberland State Park, on the Cumberland Plateau in southeastern Tennessee, autumn 2008.  This is one of my favorite autumn hikes.  I’m sure you can see why.

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Me among the fallen leaves.  Isn’t that an interesting tree?

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My buddies at the bottom of the Stone Staircase…

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…and ascending it.

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Me looking pensive…

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…and quite picturesque.  I have this thing about taking pictures that make it look like I’m walking on air:

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But I failed to keep the evidence to the contrary out of this shot.

This set is from summer 2010, at Prentice Cooper State Forest, also on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, northwest of and overlooking the Tennessee River and the absolutely beautiful Chattanooga (hi Tony!), one of my favorite weekend getaway destinations.

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I was considerably shaggier then than I was in 2008!  Don’t worry, I’ve trimmed the hair and beard back quite a bit since then;  I no longer look like a scary wild man of the woods!

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This summer hike was uncomfortably hot, and we were plagued by prolific ticks all afternoon…

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…but the view and the sights along the trail made it worthwhile.  That’s part of Chattanooga in the distance.

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I was captivated by the notable fungal patterns scrawled onto this fallen log.

I bid you all a fond farewell and leave you with goodwill, hopes for a wonderful weekend, and all the love from the bottomless depths of my wat’ry heart…

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…as I tread up into the sky over the mighty river below:Signal Mountain 060510 086

via Daily Prompt: Notable

Published by theceaselessreaderwrites

I'm a husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin, homeowner, Probation Officer, and Blogger in Middle Tennessee, USA. See my blog's 'About' page for more.

34 thoughts on “A Poem, Some Pics”

  9. Beautiful pictures! I have visited the Blue Ridge Mountains and have hiked on part of the Appalachian Trail when I was around eight or nine and the memories of the surreal experience are still with me. In India, we have our own share of gorgeous, mountainous trails, especially along the western coastline, but lack of maintenance is a big problem here.

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    1. Thank you, Maanini! Do share some pics, please. Amid the current and unfortunately long-term anti-tax climate that engulfs our local and Federal governments, many of our State and especially our national parks suffer greatly from neglect, a prominent theme of Bill Bryson’s book _A Walk in the Woods_. I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of Bryson’s other works, but it highlights the the neglect and disrepair, which is part of what made it so frustrating for me.

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  10. Wow, really? Never thought that national parks would be even in the slightest state of neglect, especially in a country like the United States. Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park are two of my absolute favorites and I hope they’re as beautiful as I remember them. I’m not a big fan of the current administration either, but politics is a different topic altogether. 😉

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