Wild flowers in the yard, wild flowers out hiking!
I’m still walking, but this week the walks have been in smaller increments. One day we walked in a circle around the city park, surrounded by hundreds of other people. We carried signs and voiced our feelings, reminding ourselves that “dissent is patriotic” and free speech is a bedrock of our society. I was glad to share and voice my opinion, but walking in a crowd isn’t fun, isn’t relaxing and isn’t nature. I have walked circles around our neighborhood, and a neighborhood across the street, and the local park. In other words, the same places I always walk. My dog and I have watched spring begin, flowers blooming, trees growing their leaves, and many birds singing and building nests. This is the time of year for new ideas, new growth, new babies or eggs, and new buds on plants. My little tomato seedlings are growing, but not as fast as the ones I help tend in a greenhouse. I’m training to be a master gardener, and this is the season for plant sales. Yesterday I spent the entire day indoors, surrounded by houseplants, seedlings, native plants, and so much more. My work station was near a rolled up door, and I could see outside and feel the fresh air. My favorite times of the day were when heavy rain poured and fresh chilly air entered the building. I found it interesting that the first section of plants to be almost sold out was the native plants. I think, despite what might be expected, people do care about the environment, and they do care about the insects and butterflies. I grabbed one of the last pots of milkweed. Monarch butterflies should find lots of happy host plants in the section of Alabama, according to the sales yesterday. I am thankful.
Plant sale
Trees down and cleared on a section of the AT
I am following a mother and daughter hiking the AT on YouTube. This week they have been in Erwin TN, and showing the extreme destruction from the hurricane Helene. So many trees were down along the trail, nothing looked familiar. Luckily for the hikers, groups of trail maintainers had been along cutting and working through the fallen trees, and the trail is able to be hiked. This backpacker mom and daughter are making a point to stop at hostels and to eat at the restaurants in the towns along the way, trying to be part of the economic growth. She is showing the videos of the area, the loss of land, the sand buildups, the work on destroyed buildings and washed out bridges. In Erwin they used a rubber dingy to cross the river where a bridge used to stand. It is going to take years for the area to recover.
A bridge wiped out in Erwin TN, due to hurricane Helene
On my pretend hike I am one mile out from the Cable Gap shelter, a log structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1939. The CCC allowed men to have jobs, to get paid a bit and to have dignity during the great depression, and many of their projects are still benefiting people today. I find the CCC to be a project we can be proud of, a bright section of history during a dark time. Like the native plants and the care for nature that is out there, like the people protesting against job cuts, ending of government programs and lack of due process for our must vulnerable people, the CCC of the past is a sign that people will always care. Someone wants to see more butterflies, someone wants to protect our pollinators, someone wants to stop government overreach and someone wants to protect our basic rights of due process and free speech. Whether we agree on everything, or anything, we should be able and willing to listen, to speak up and to care.
These two weeks were short in miles, and this blog is shorter of words. Next week I hope to get out and walk on trails, in woods and maybe on our smaller mountains. I can’t wait to fake hike in places I have already been, so I can share some bear stories and adventures from my days of actual backpacking. Enjoy, protect and love each other! Get outside and explore!
april 12 - 158.41 miles total
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