At home in the woods
Apr. 11th, 2004 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaneramosOn the way home from meeting my parents in London for lunch, we stopped at Wellington County Agreement Forest. We lived near it for the first two years of Brenna's life, when I was still married, but we haven't gone back in years. One of the things I like least about not having a car is that I rarely have a chance to visit places like this, bits of wilderness not far from the city. Soon the woods will be full of dogtooth violets and other ephemeral spring wildflowers.
I especially love this particular woods because its dominant species—hemlock, beech, cedar and sugar maple—and steeply rolling terrain remind me of the landscape around my cottage.
I keep fearing that my daughters will start to lose interest in hiking, but they never do. In fact, their enthusiasm grows as they get older, so we walk further and further.
* * * * *
As we hike along, a forest opening appears on our left, where the deep shade of mature hemlocks prevents anything from growing on the forest floor except several beech saplings, their gold leaves blazing in the midst.
MARIAN: Let's go over there. It looks cool.
We leave the main trail.
BRENNA: I like it better where the trail is more closed in like this.
It is a knoll, bounded on all sides by swamp. We explore in separate directions for a few minutes, then come together again and move on from this magical place.
* * * * *
The beech (Fagus americana) is one of my favourite trees because it has lovely silver-grey bark and retains its leaves all winter until the new buds burst. Beechnuts are intriguing, too.
BRENNA: I wonder what this place looks like in the moonlight.
* * * * *
ME: I like walking with you two because you spot things I would miss.
* * * * *
BRENNA: You know how people have little goals they want to reach, like eating a certain kind of food or visiting a particular place?
ME: Like Antarctica?
BRENNA: Yes. My goal is to find the perfect pine cone.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Marian eventually flops down in the dried leaves by the side of the path.
MARIAN: I like the ground.
ME: Are you tired? Do you want to turn back?
MARIAN: I like the ground. The ground feels good.
ME: Will you be pissed off if we keep walking?
MARIAN: No.
We leave her alone on the ground and meet up again ten minutes later.
* * * * *
BRENNA: Even though I didn't grow up here, I feel more at home in the woods.
Me too.
* * * * *
If there is one thing I ever hoped to bequeath to my daughters, it was a love of the forest.
I especially love this particular woods because its dominant species—hemlock, beech, cedar and sugar maple—and steeply rolling terrain remind me of the landscape around my cottage.
I keep fearing that my daughters will start to lose interest in hiking, but they never do. In fact, their enthusiasm grows as they get older, so we walk further and further.
* * * * *
As we hike along, a forest opening appears on our left, where the deep shade of mature hemlocks prevents anything from growing on the forest floor except several beech saplings, their gold leaves blazing in the midst.
MARIAN: Let's go over there. It looks cool.
We leave the main trail.
BRENNA: I like it better where the trail is more closed in like this.
It is a knoll, bounded on all sides by swamp. We explore in separate directions for a few minutes, then come together again and move on from this magical place.
* * * * *
The beech (Fagus americana) is one of my favourite trees because it has lovely silver-grey bark and retains its leaves all winter until the new buds burst. Beechnuts are intriguing, too.
BRENNA: I wonder what this place looks like in the moonlight.
* * * * *
ME: I like walking with you two because you spot things I would miss.
* * * * *
BRENNA: You know how people have little goals they want to reach, like eating a certain kind of food or visiting a particular place?
ME: Like Antarctica?
BRENNA: Yes. My goal is to find the perfect pine cone.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Marian eventually flops down in the dried leaves by the side of the path.
MARIAN: I like the ground.
ME: Are you tired? Do you want to turn back?
MARIAN: I like the ground. The ground feels good.
ME: Will you be pissed off if we keep walking?
MARIAN: No.
We leave her alone on the ground and meet up again ten minutes later.
* * * * *
BRENNA: Even though I didn't grow up here, I feel more at home in the woods.
Me too.
* * * * *
If there is one thing I ever hoped to bequeath to my daughters, it was a love of the forest.
