A Walk in the Forest

When I woke up this morning, I felt the forest calling.  As if to emphasize it, a crow cawed as I shared my feelings about it on Twitter.

Now that the wind isn’t so biting and the ground not so slippery, I could no longer ignore the calling to get back into the forest.  I’ve had to be careful with my walks.  There aren’t any established trails in the woods near my apartment, so falling is a real possibility, especially when the ground is covered in snow, ice, or mud.  Today felt like a great day to get back.  The bigger I get, the harder it is to waddle up and and down the slight inclines and over the puddles.  I’ll be in my third trimester in a week, so I want to get into the woods as much as I can while I’m able.

The snow on the ground is mostly gone.  There are a few clumps here and there, but the brown grass, and the tender new grass, is all exposed – much to the delight of the deer and newly returned robins!  Although there are moist places, the ground felt sturdy today.  I crossed over a small ditch and into the forest.  The air was fresh and cool.  The clouds shifted and sun beams flooded the forest.  Filtering through the evergreen trees and settling on the leaf carpet, the forest took on that warm, golden glow I so love.  As I walked to the Nature Spirits’ shrine, I spied a chipmunk, awake from its hibernation, darting over a log.

Once I made it to the shrine, I poured and placed offerings to the local spirits, thanking them for their blessings.  A crow cawed from above, seeming to approve.  I left and made my way back, picking up some litter as I went.  I always feel that extra bit of effort is an offering in and of itself.

Spring is slow to come in the North Country, but it’s slowing emerging.  There were more buds on the trees, I’m seeing robins, and I’ve even seen some spring flowers starting to poke out of the ground!  It’s coming, folks!