Radial line

[vaneramos]

Tunnel through white cedars


This afternoon I explored an unfamiliar upstream stretch of the Eramosa River. From Watson Road I hiked along the radial line Jon showed me several weeks ago. At first it ran perfectly straight following the vanished railway through a tunnel of dense white cedars. Sounds of traffic and the background city hum receded behind me. Two jays flew over a meadow, graceful as angels, shrieking like demons. A flock of juncos flitted past, invisible against grey branches of buckthorns, their movements only revealed by white tail flashes. They squeaked like bats. A chipmunk played hide-and-seek under a furled strip of bark.

The air was profoundly still until I passed through an aspen stand, where a breeze stirred the leaves. I stopped to drink in the sound, then noticed an electric whine ahead.

It came from a small reservoir with a pumping station of some kind. According to an inscription, an artillery regiment built the crude impoundment with bare hands in the 1970s. Across the dam, the trail led beyond what's shown on the map, interconnecting with gravel roads that appeared to be on private property. Deterred by confusing signage, I turned back, determined to return with more time and energy.







Eramosa flow







Dam inscription







Fungus on cedar stump