BLACK FRIDAY ... NOT FOR ME

There's a wonderful nature preserve north of the Quad-C campus. If you drive past the school, on Spring Creek, you'll notice a massive copse (if you will) of trees opposite it, on the northern side of the road. I made it my mission, today, to travel into those depths, staff in hand, and tramp about the trails and creeks. One has to park and walk behind an amphitheater to find the footpath which leads, almost imperceptibly, into the woods. (I kind of like the fact that the amphitheater blocks the trail entrance, because that means fewer people will know about it. The less traffic, the better, sez I.) The track winds through the trees for more than a mile. Maybe a mile and a half. Maybe two. It's hard to say, because it's quite a rolling trek; up hill and down dale. Invigorating! Most of the journey is well shaded, but for a few spots where the path crosses secretive glens. There is also a rivulet at the bottom of a deep ravine, crossing the trail or running beside it. A previous traveler had used chalk to mark the way. That was thoughful of them, but not necassary (for me, at least), since I had been here before.

I have twice had large snakes slither across my path (though not today); one of them directly beween my footsteps. Both times, I heard a rattle. I have seen armadillo here, too, and, I think, an owl. Also, when it's warmer, legions of fat, juicy spiders with long, gnarled legs, hang their webs across the path, making the trip particularly tricky.

With all those spiders, it's like Mirkwood.

I'll have to give this place a name. The Witchy Woods? The Forest Primeval? The Shadowy Woods? The Spidery Woods?

The Tiger Woods?
Maybe not.

Any suggestions?

There was a family (with three kids) wandering around the parking lot when I emerged from the path. It was nearly sunset. The man asked me if there were any trails leading back into the trees. "Follow the chalk," I said. I know, from experience, how dark it gets beneath those trees at dusk, but I didn't say anything. Maybe I should have. Pretty soon, those Stygian pathways would be hard to follow. I hope that family didn't get lost in the dark.

Anyway, it really is night time, now, and relatively cold. Rerun is curled up on my bed, asleep. I have to work early tomorrow. I must find something soporific to read.

TODAY'S QUOTE:
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
--- John Muir