Turkeys In Tents

Under a clear, blue sky sat a row of tents, campers slumbering inside, no doubt shivering beneath underrated sleeping bags. The wind was calm and the environment was peaceful, and would likely stay that way until Midnight. I was studying a tent city plopped up outside the Best Buy in Bowling Green. Thanksgiving Day and some turkeys were waiting for a deal on a flat-screen. I giggled and headed out of town for a hike.

The woods post-fall present a different feel from any other time of the year. It almost seems like “woods forgotten,” or “woods left behind.” No crowd to content with on the trail. No bustling ecosystem full of spider webs and horseflies. Seems everything slows down to a babbling brook-like pace. My favorite time to come to the woods. Well, next to spring. And fall. And summer.

Shanty Hollow Lake was the locale for the post meal hike last Thursday. It was around 3 o’clock and the sun was beginning to cast shadows on the trail as it was making a late year retreat to blacken Friday. I looked at the white oaks reflecting in the lake. I thought about how good the Hollow looked in the spring, excited about another blossoming year, now all come to another end. It was like watching a child grow up and with bittersweet emotion seeing them go away for a season. It had been a good spring. And a great fall. Every year seeming shorter and shorter.

I made it back to the seasonal waterfall and it was flowing for the first time since May. No matter how many times I see the falls, the marvel I have for it never dries up. I’m sure I had seen something far better than anything a discounted flat screen TV could promise.

Till next trip…

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