A light snow had fallen overnight, a couple of inches had covered the ground….in fact it was still snowing as the man exited his car and headed to the trailhead. He liked hiking on this trail, he considered it a hidden gem in his small town. He was sure most people in town knew about it, but he hardly ever saw anyone hiking on it. Perhaps that was due to it’s design….it was a 3 mile loop that ran next to the small river that wended it’s way through town. Occasionally, he would encounter people walking with their dogs and he knew the high school cross-country teams ran on it, but the man hardly ever saw anyone else on his hikes and he kinda liked that. The trailhead was actually kind of hidden, unmarked next to the bike path, you had to know where it was, you could easily walk or bike right past it and not even realize it.
There was an immediate slight decline to the trail from the bike path and the man laughed to himself, if he fell at this point it would be a cold, wet hike, so he took small steps down the path and even ran the last few yards. He had worn his winter boots, hat, scarf, and gloves and he zipped up his coat to his chin as he felt a slight wind as he began.
The trail immediately went into the woods and this was probably his favorite part of the trail for within a minute of walking there was complete silence, not that there was much noise on a Sunday morning but you felt completely enveloped by the woods and all sounds of modern life were extinguished.
The man’s boots crunched in the new fallen snow and he noticed there was only one other set of footprints, and since they were headed in the same direction as he was, he knew the person ahead of him was still out there. The man consciously walked on the other side of the path so as to not follow in the other persons footprints.
The beginning part of the trail was unique, for about 50 yards the pine trees were perfectly aligned on both sides of the trail. The trees soared to the sky and although the lower branches had died off the upper branches created an almost tunnel effect for those walking under them. The man always wondered how this had happened, was it simply how the trail had been created, a unique man-made circumstance of cutting away some trees to create the trail, or was it nature at work, unexplainable and best left to marvel at.
The trail briefly opened up into a meadow and turned slightly away from the river before turning back to it. In the meadow was a small pavilion with a picnic table under it. The man had never seen anybody having a picnic at the pavilion or even seen anyone sitting at the table, but he always thought that maybe one day he would bring a lunch and eat his lunch at the table under the pavilion by the river.
There was a slight incline to the trail and now he was above the river and he stopped and looked out over it. It hadn’t been cold enough to completely freeze but he did notice a thin layer of ice on the top part that had trapped some small trees that had fallen into the river. The man noticed a rabbit scurrying across the thin ice, and he held his breath until the rabbit made it safely over to the other side, and as he continued walking he wondered about the animals who crossed the river when it was frozen, did they go back and forth or did they stay on one side after they crossed, and what if they crossed only to be trapped on the wrong side when it thawed.
The man was still thinking about all this as the trail opened and turned again. He suddenly noticed the wind was in his face and the snow that had been pleasantly falling was now stinging his face. He unzipped his coat and pulled his scarf out to cover his face and zipped his coat back up tight again.
Suddenly the man had one overwhelming thought….he missed her. As he thought this, he smiled…he no longer was burdened by her absence, in fact he had been allowing himself to think this once a day. He smiled again and said it out loud this time….”I miss her”…..
He smiled again…..he found by saying it out loud, by hearing his own voice saying it, he wasn’t overcome by her absence and he always made sure to remind himself to remember how it ended….bitterness, disappointment, anger and the sudden finality of it. Yes, if he was going to miss her, he had to remember the ending. Still….Sunday mornings were different…..
He usually woke up early and went to the porch to get the Sunday paper. He’d bring it back to the bed and he’d begin reading it. She’d feign like she was sleeping and she might even mildly protest but she quickly joined him in grabbing a section to read. They’d “fake” argue about who’s turn it was to read the funnies first and then they’d settle in and read their favorite sections, exchanging sections as they went. Some Sundays though they’d hardly read the paper at all, they’d toss it on the floor and they’d lay in bed talking about the week that was and make plans for the day and upcoming week. Other times they’d simply fall back asleep for a while, the warmth of their bodies a reassuring comfort. After about an hour he’d get up and make her breakfast…..he missed that….he missed all of that.
The trail came to the only large hill and the man was worried that he might slip going up it, but he navigated it quickly and he stood on top of the hill and looked about him. He could see the river below him and the town off in the distance slowly waking up. The light snow continued to fall and everything was silent. He stood there for many moments with not a thought at all, and he felt the snow hitting his face.
He slowly picked his way down the hill, the trail was very narrow here and he couldn’t help but walk in the footprints of the person before him. He was coming to the last part of the trail and he began to think about the rest of his day. The cat would be up and waiting for him wanting to be fed, and he had wood to cut for the fire.
The trail widened again and the only sound he heard was his boots crunching in the snow, and he thought of his new favorite poem which he had committed to memory….
From the second that you’re in this world they tell you what is fair,
the questions you’re allowed to ask, and the ones you wouldn’t dare
Placed on the path they’ve paved for you,
life pushed you along without the chance to stop and think if it’s right where you belong,
but beyond your pathways edges is where living really starts
a land of risks & danger, and a land of broken hearts
they tell you you should fear this land, that there’s no good there at all,
and live your life as they’ve been taught behind expectations wall
but the best people you will ever meet have wandered off their track,
found themselves along the way, and have no need to wander back
so forget about life’s road map, follow your heart at any cost
for you’ll never truly find yourself if you’re too scared to get lost
The man shoved his hands into his coat pockets and with his boots crunching through the snow he walked on the other side of the path, not wanting to step in the footprints of the person ahead of him.
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