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Day Tripping
By Karen Handyside Ely
As we enter the trailhead from Shell Beach, brisk and bracing winds swirl hair and chill bones. Am I crazy, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt?
We begin our ascent, turning backwards often as we inch up the hill so that we can soak up the panorama that unfolds behind us. Sunshine shimmers on the Pacific, making it glitter as the waves undulate, achingly alive. Light on water, is there anything more beautiful? As we crest the first hill, we stop one last time to feast our eyes. Mine fill with tears. It overwhelms me, this hushed moment in the sea breeze. Immersed in this timeless vista there is such peace in knowing how long this view has been here, and always will be. The echoes of eternity, the promise of constancy. We continue on.
I’m no longer cold. The climb has loosened my muscles. We have entered a new world as we bid a loving farewell to the sea. We follow the trail that takes us through scrub brush and into a verdant meadow. Periwinkle lupin and amethyst iris stand out in stark contrast to the pale green of the grass. This is a world of muted colors and modest foliage; an in-between space, stunning in its simplicity. The endless sky is open and clear without a single cloud to ripple its stillness… and then we hear it… the screech of a hawk, like the opening hymn in Earth’s grand cathedral. We stop again to absorb the majesty.
We come to a fork in the trail and opt to take the low road. We pass from meadow into forest and are enfolded in a tapestry of vivid color. Cyprus and Pine line the path, and ferns become abundant as we wade deeper and deeper into the jungle magic. We have transcended time, finding ourselves awash in a primordial forest. Redwood trees reach towards heaven, congregating in faerie rings amidst the velvet redwood sorrel. The air has become heavy and we can almost hear the trees breathing in the silence. We have stumbled across a sacred space. We feel like the only two people on the planet.
Our senses are tenderly bombarded. The pungent, mossy forest floor settles comfortably in our nostrils. The quiet hangs like a blanket around our shoulders, occasionally interrupted by the groan of a tree or the hum of an unseen insect. The sun streams in long rays of filtered light, warming our skin. This grove is a banquet of emerald, sage, juniper, and moss – every shade of green imaginable – all framing the deep glow of redwood bark. We stroll into the empty campground and spread our little picnic on a bench near the trickling creek. We have arrived.
Karen Handyside Ely was born and raised in Petaluma, California. Upon graduating from UC Davis, she worked in San Francisco and New York City in corporate finance. After a 30-year career as a mom and “professional” volunteer in Scottsdale, AZ, Karen returned to her beloved hometown in Sonoma County.
She delights in difficult crossword puzzles, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and traveling with her husband (of 35 years) James.
Karen has been published in The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries, The Write Spot: Reflections, The Write Spot: Possibilities, The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing, and The Write Spot: Musings and Ravings From a Pandemic Year. (all available on Amazon).
Karen will be a featured presenter at Writers Forum on July 21, 2021.
