Off-road vehicle

Following a deer trail winding through the brush,
finding the still-warm spot in the cool, tall grass,
where they choose to wait out the mid-day heat.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 1997

Standing on the edge of the world,
watching the afternoon sun set ablaze the red rock of the canyon below,
while birds fly beneath my feet.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1997

Wading a deep, narrow riverbed,
borrowing a crooked stick as a staff,
the towering cliffs above on either side.
Virgin River, Zion National Park, Utah, 1997

Wandering waist-deep on the prairie,
discovering strands of hair where bison lost it,
feeding here, yesterday.
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, 2000

Sharing the narrow, climbing mountain trail with a hermit thrush,
being the only human ears to hear this song he sings,
in the deepest woods.
Acadia National Park, Maine, 2001

Straddling cool, black depths,
experiencing the purest darkness imaginable,
in the world that has no sunlight.
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, 2002

Bracing against the harsh wind,
seeking warmth nestled against a rock,
where the tiniest flowers live in just a crack.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2005

Scrambling over boulder fields,
feeling small against the rocky face,
to be in the peregrine’s world.
Acadia National Park, Maine, 2007

My new hiking boots have arrived, and it’s a good thing…
because I’m not content to believe the “scenic overlook” is as good as it gets.
"The mountains are calling and I must go."
~John Muir, "The Father of our National Parks"