Journey's End (2/9/07)

This journey -

this trail over width and depth

slope, valley, grass, rock and river;

this onward march that climbs the mountain face

this stopping for air and sunshine and a drink mid-hike

this navigation of landmarks and maps

this following beaten tracks and paint marks on rocks

this mud on my shoes

this sweat on my brow

this ache in my muscles

this smalltalk along the way

the exasperation

the constant tiredness

this blue sky and hail and rain,

this vulnerability to the elements that surround me

this adapting to cold and heat, hunger and too much knodel;

these in betweens,

the bruises on my leg

the cuts on my fingers

the pictures in my camera

the staring at miles of barrenness

the celebration of a journey's end

my tangled hair

my unwashed clothes

the air, the clouds

the fog that shrouds everything in grey and damp,

the feel of fresh socks on my feet

the subdued undertones

the friction, the temperament

clean beds, cold beds

sleep and the lack of it.

Death. Life. Hope. Revelation. Relief. Anguish.

All these mark journey's end to a summer saga.