Here In The Trees…

I wrote this piece one quiet summer day as I was trudging along through the woods. I’ve been working on gaining miles towards my goal and needed a hike that had more distance than splendor. Often those short hikes reap a greater reward in terms of views… especially in Rhode Island; so this was a trek that was pure distance related.

The route I took…. Breakhart Pond and Shelter Loop was set to be the first one I was doing more than five miles without anyone else there. I wasn’t quite nervous, just hopeful that I’d be able to trust myself enough to get around. Directions are not quite my thing…

This trail may have been more for distance, and I wasn’t expecting much in the way of scenery, but there was an entire stretch of miles, far back on the trail, that felt so isolated. The thoughts of all these trees that surrounded me and how long they had been there, what they may have seen in the years past started swirling around. It’s interesting to think, that many trees in our area have seen multiple generations, maybe not hundreds of years worth like other majestic forests, but still…

The path I walked was a Scout trail in its former life…. how many young men walked through those trees, forging that path for me to walk that day? Do trees, like water, have a memory? Do they feel the emotions of those around them? Do they feel the pain or the horror of dying? What happens when the Earth takes what is left of their existence back…. it really was just me and my thoughts for 7.5 miles…..

The pictures below are just a small collection of trees I’ve met along the way… I have found it tricky to photograph dead trees. Quite often they don’t have great angles. They are so mangled or broken its hard to see where one should focus. The area around them isn’t always pretty either. But, we see them for what they are anyways. What once may have been majestic and glorious, giving us life and air… has its own way of giving back to the Earth. Even in death.

Enjoy.