starting to break a sweat
crow shadow flies off burnt tree
cool shade
feels good
woman coming down trail
hi-good-morning-have-a-great-hike-you-too
bright morning sunlight
nothing to be scared of in these woods
snowy sangres de cristos
off to east
capped by
new mexico blue sky
young yellow aspens
red rosehips
fragrant goosefoot--
startlingly red--
alongside trail
skinny downed tree
walk over
crispy orange brown gambel oak
tall green mullein spikes
leaves so thick
they seem indestructible
yet thin enough
for sun to backlight
who lives in these woods
birds chirping
robust elk tracks
dainty deer tracks
entering the burn
aspens on hillside
leaves mostly all fallen
high above is
burnt knife-edge
with green draping of trees
pajarito canyon
so deep
half-moon-in-the-morning
above pajarito mountain's
grassy shoulder
tall blackened bark-stripped trees
in various stages of falling
handsome giant reposes across trail
polished wood
burnished red-blond-silver in the sunlight
one spindly, blue harebell
hangs over trail edge
down
down
down
into pajarito canyon
easier than it looked
gurgly stream
red rosehips glisten
aspen leaves tremble
fallen aspen leaves
crinkle under feet
one look back at the wild country
couple of aspens
gold topped
up on hillside
in grove of pines
leftover summer--
scarlet gilia
droops alongside trail
wild strawberry runners
leaves turning red
look behind
no one there
ok to be alone in the woods
to be without people
for a while
all downhill now
easy breathing
hear bird in the woods
di-di-di-di
morse code
bird flies up
shadow flits across trail
purple flowers
are they daisies
are they asters
are they beautiful
at one time, vehicles traveled
on this nail trail
all the way up to camp may road
the old timers remember that
roaring hum of los alamos/lanl micropolis
breathe deep
go back to civilization
kick up loose rocks
sound like china plates scraping
pine cone
thick chunks of sap
drip from edges
beige-gray water tower looming
lanl-los-alamos-county-emergency-management-center
snowcapped truchas peaks
last golden eye daisies of summer
wild geranium
red leaves
bonsai ponderosa
when started trail
nothing looked familiar
on the way back,
it all looks familiar
so glad
so thankful
so happy
for this day
for this life
for this season
crow shadow flies off burnt tree
cool shade
feels good
woman coming down trail
hi-good-morning-have-a-great-hike-you-too
bright morning sunlight
nothing to be scared of in these woods
snowy sangres de cristos
off to east
capped by
new mexico blue sky
young yellow aspens
red rosehips
fragrant goosefoot--
startlingly red--
alongside trail
skinny downed tree
walk over
crispy orange brown gambel oak
tall green mullein spikes
leaves so thick
they seem indestructible
yet thin enough
for sun to backlight
who lives in these woods
birds chirping
robust elk tracks
dainty deer tracks
entering the burn
aspens on hillside
leaves mostly all fallen
high above is
burnt knife-edge
with green draping of trees
pajarito canyon
so deep
half-moon-in-the-morning
above pajarito mountain's
grassy shoulder
tall blackened bark-stripped trees
in various stages of falling
handsome giant reposes across trail
polished wood
burnished red-blond-silver in the sunlight
one spindly, blue harebell
hangs over trail edge
down
down
down
into pajarito canyon
easier than it looked
gurgly stream
red rosehips glisten
aspen leaves tremble
fallen aspen leaves
crinkle under feet
one look back at the wild country
couple of aspens
gold topped
up on hillside
in grove of pines
leftover summer--
scarlet gilia
droops alongside trail
wild strawberry runners
leaves turning red
look behind
no one there
ok to be alone in the woods
to be without people
for a while
all downhill now
easy breathing
hear bird in the woods
di-di-di-di
morse code
bird flies up
shadow flits across trail
purple flowers
are they daisies
are they asters
are they beautiful
at one time, vehicles traveled
on this nail trail
all the way up to camp may road
the old timers remember that
roaring hum of los alamos/lanl micropolis
breathe deep
go back to civilization
kick up loose rocks
sound like china plates scraping
pine cone
thick chunks of sap
drip from edges
beige-gray water tower looming
lanl-los-alamos-county-emergency-management-center
snowcapped truchas peaks
last golden eye daisies of summer
wild geranium
red leaves
bonsai ponderosa
when started trail
nothing looked familiar
on the way back,
it all looks familiar
so glad
so thankful
so happy
for this day
for this life
for this season
