Every now and then, I need retreat.
Sometimes, I need something akin to magic.
Somehow, in the space surrounding this tree, I felt like I had both.
I have no idea what happened to it. The burns aren't consistent with a lightning strike. It was a big, tall tree, and if it was burned, I couldn't tell how — no other tree as far as I could see had been burned.
I loved the burn pattern. I loved the tree and its dark, towering presence in that evergreen area where I probably wasn't supposed to be hiking. I loved the spongy softness of the deadfall carpeting the forest floor. I loved feeling almost lost in a forest. It was almost a fairy tale moment.
I wished I was wearing something besides shorts and a T-shirt. I wished I'd been willing to venture a little "further in, further up."
I wished I had stopped for a bathroom break earlier.
Alas ...
Ten Sleep was a lovely place to conclude my evening with a platter of fried food, a glass of cold, locally brewed amber ale and a bar full of people who didn't know me. I liked it.
