(Go the this entry's introduction.)
(late November 2021)
I went to
the woods because I wished to move perambulatively.
When you
last read about me, I was at the trailhead at the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area. The rain, which had plagued me since the previous evening, had now become a mist. I went left at the T intersection for no particular reason
and was soon descending a moderately tall hill surrounded mainly by barren
trees.
Not to get
overly transcendental, but it felt wonderful to be in the woods again. It
amazes me how quickly my mind was able to put aside thoughts of unfinished
projects at work, chores at home left undone, and other such distractions and instead
focus on the beauty of the forest around me, the changing smells as I meandered
deeper into the woods, and the unseen squirrels scampering on either side.
That floats on high o'er moraines and hummocks
The Germans have a word – Waldeinsamkeit – which refers to experiencing the sublime or something spiritual when you're alone in the woods. If it can be said that I experienced it on this walk, it was when I stepped down from the path into this little swampy area on the shore of one of the lakes.
At some
point it occurred to me that I was slowly sinking and had better extract myself
from the mud before I couldn't do so and some poor DNR ranger had to pull my corpse from the muck.
The trail is
4.5 miles long so I had plenty of time for reflection. While sauntering along, I
suddenly recalled Jason's comment about the bear attack and started being a bit
more vigilant. I needn't have worried, though, as I saw no bears. No deer
either. And barely any birds. The wildlife was smart enough not to go hang out
in the rain, unlike the human.
I wondered
how this tree ended up growing like this.
Not far up the road was Chetek where a hotel room awaited. After checking in, I found myself to be quite hungry so I drove over to Norm's Open Kitchen. After being seated, the locals there, who were all older folks, glanced over at the stranger briefly before returning to their meals and/or interlocutors. I looked around and noticed that the salad bar was closed for the season. (?!) My guess is that it's only available when there are tourists around. I take it that it is not particularly popular with the locals.
I ordered pot roast and mashed potatoes. The photo of my dinner turned out to be wildly out of focus so no gratuitous pictures of food. Aside from needing salt, it was tasty. The potatoes were lumpy, as is my preference, and the gravy tied everything together. A fine, hearty meal which was just what I needed after my hike. Getting into my car, I noticed my legs starting to feel sore and so it was off to the liquor store for some muscle relaxant. This came in the form of Oat Starkbier from our brewing neighbors in Minnesota, Schell.
It was a show from Warsaw on 14 October 1967 and all of Kirk's trademark sounds were on display – playing up to 3 saxophones at once, blowing and talking into his flute, and virtuosic performances on his "nose flute".
During "Blues for C&T" Kirk began playing a melody that was familiar but I couldn't place it. I believe he's playing multiple saxophones during that song so there's that drone like a bagpipe and it threw me off. I kept thinking it was a Scottish folk song but, later, I racked my brain and figured out that it was the highly un-Scottish ragtime song "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin.
The forecast had possible snow in it. I wouldn't have minded a little but I hoped that we would avoid a blizzard as I settled under the blankets.
No comments:
Post a Comment