Baby Buds, Drops of Life and a Forest Ghost on the Hot Springs Trails

Lower Dogwood Trail Water Drop Forest Reflection

Thank You Bob Williamson (@ZEROGreenhouse) for inviting me to be a guest writer “Awakening with Nature” it is an honor to be writing for the Zero Greenhouse Foundation. I also want to thank Deb Dobson (@DebDobson) for the beautiful article she wrote about me this week I am humbled by her kind words.

I thought today would be about fog again, the sky was dark and clouds sat low in the trees in the park when I awoke.  I was out the door in less that an hour and into the park ready to capture the foggy forest.  In the gray light I saw a lovely female Cardinal on the Tufa Terrace, she was grabbing berries in a tree. As I moved away I could hear her lovely song  drifting through the park as I began my hike.  To get up to the fog line I hiked up the Peak trail in record speed, but discovered the fog had lifted when I arrived.

When I reached the top I saw a movement over on the west loop of the Hot Springs Mountain trail and was blessed to see a lovely Chipmunk.  Hiking down the trail I glanced over at North Mountain to see a bank of fog had settled on top.  I doubled back to the Honeysuckle Trail and raced down, then up the Floral Trail to reach the Lower Dogwood Trail. Up Upper Dogwood and finally connecting with the north side of the Lower Dogwood Loop.

When I arrived the Fog had changed to mist and Hot Springs Mountain was again fogged in.  I decided to stay put and photograph the lovely beads of water and buds on the branches along the trail.  The Drops of water were the gift of life in the forest nursery where trees were renewing with tiny flower and leaf buds.  In the gray morning sky all the colors appeared muted like a lovely watercolor painting. It was a wonderful place to be this morning.

I was just finishing a close shot of some vibrant tree blossoms when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. A ghost had emerged from the mist, in view and gone so fast I was relieved I had not blinked.  A mature White Tail Deer had lept across the path, up the hill and into the forest in mere seconds.  I was so unprepared, I did not get a photo this time,  but  I believe we will both meet again on this trail. Yes, I re-hiked the trail twice hoping to see this beautiful creature again but it was not to be.   It was a gift from Nature to even have had a glimpse of such a graceful being.

I hiked back over to the Floral Trail and down to the Hot Springs Mountain Road.  The edge path along the creek was decked out in lovely Spring Beauty Wildflowers.  The pale pink blossoms looked so lovely against the green speading out along the road side.  The park was changing rapidly, new growth and creatures were appear each week. It was a blessed day in the park.

Let Nature embrace you, she has so many secrets to share.
Love,
Lee