Hubby invited me to go with him to a couple of small lakes he and Harris wanted to fish. I decided I could go romp the area as my workout while they cast their lines in the water.
The drive turned out to be about an hour into Smith Fork road. I hadn't been down that road since we were first married. The day was perfect. The overcast sky kept the temps from being too hot.
Here is lake #1. You can barely see my guys on the other side.
I found a nice level spot in the trees to do my pre-warm up and enjoyed the shape of this old, dead, tree stump. Lots of squirrels came to "check me out."
Wandering further I found this tree with its top half lobbed over from its bottom. I don't know how it hasn't tipped over. Could've happened right on my head, I suppose.
There were tons of flowers.
I walked up a two track path which took me through a meadow where I saw a doe enjoying her breakfast. The path then curved around through a strip of trees. When I came out of the trees I halted. Completely. I had the distinct idea that I should stop, look, and listen... for wildlife. I started to my right, moving my vision to the left, and when I got completely around to my 8 o'clock, there was a moose staring at me. So, I stared back.
He was only thirty yards away. Yeah, I was a little concerned. He must've been a little concerned also because he moved halfway up the hill and stopped, turning his head to stare at me some more.
Im such a tourist. Everywhere I go. Even if I'm completely alone.
On my way back, my young bull moose was at the top of the hill, snacking. He turned his head and we resumed staring at each other. When he turned his body around to completely face me, I got a little worried. I mentally calculated how fast his strong muscles could get him down to my location. So, I moved along just a little to get trees between us. I could see him. He could still see me. But, he relaxed. Taking bites and looking at me while he chewed.
I got back to the truck and my guys were still fishing so I headed down the road on which we had driven in. I just happened to look down as I was walking and caught site of this tiny body dead on the ground. He was in perfect condition. I wondered what had caused him to pass on. I was impressed by how teeny tiny he was and thought of the scripture saying that God was aware of the passing of even a sparrow, and how much more He would be aware of us and our needs. Farewell tiny mouse. I'm sure you are as thankful for your mortality as you are to know that your story continues in another realm, where you no longer need fear for your life.
Finally, the guys decided to check out the next lake. It was a short drive and then a short hike. Short, yes, but steep also. For me, it was a pretty intense workout. They went to investigate the water and I, the land.
I tried to think of how old this tree could be. How much of human history had played out while this tree stood guard over the lake below? In fact, the lake may have died and been resurrected several times depending on precipitation levels while time, weather, and critters shaped and influenced this aged monument of perseverance.
Were these scars created by man or beast?
Can you spot the guys?
I continued up the side of the hill using long sprouted grass as a bug deterrent. Something on a tree in the distance caught my eye. I had never seen this before. What in the? My woodworker guy said its called a burl. Lumber made from burls is pretty expensive and desirable for its unique patterns. I felt sorry for the tree.
Can you see the truck way down there?
Harrison liked telling us the truck was so tiny he could smash it with his fingers.
This not so little nine year old loves going out hiking. He loves wildlife. He wants to be a wildlife photographer or have a zoo. The addition of fishing has added another purpose to hiking.
I told him he should get a book on wildlife scat, so that when we're hiking he can tell us what animals have been around. He planned to go to the library as soon as we got back.
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