Slope, cross slope, outslope
Corridor, tread, and consistency
Switchbacks
more switchbacks
Back cuts for bench cuts: full and half
Contours and compaction
Drainage without erosion
Grade
and always
Sustainability
The knowledge, language, and skill
of the trail builders
With all I know, though
of all they share
I’m still left wondering how
They brought the Sun
Ascending in the east
Descending in the west
Setting aflame the awe within me
From where did they obtain
The morning dew
that dampens my cuffs
as I walk along
How did they arrange for
The song of the Wood Thrush and
The Wren
Of the Cardinal and the Dove
By whose hand was the Heron
Placed in a posture of
Waiting and watching
Statue-still in the trail-side pond
Finally, with what magic did they create
The Silence
and the Peace
that descends upon my heart
As I move
Step by step
Along the path
They created
I’ve always loved hiking, but find just being outside even more satisfying than logging the miles. Working with folks who build trails on a regular basis, I’ve enjoyed learning their process; a good trail really is so much more than just a path in the woods! With this poem, I wanted to introduce some of the language and concepts of trail building. If you see a word you don’t recognize, look it up and enjoy exploring something new.
Then, get outside and go take a hike!
Today is Poetry Friday. When you get back from your walk, take a look at the collection over at Margaret Simon’s Reflections on the Teche.
Yet There is Method 
What a tribute to unsung heroes. So lovely, so true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Liz. “Unsung heroes,” indeed!
LikeLike
Love this an ode to those who walked before us, and this expression of gratitude for the sublime. Beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Mona!
LikeLike
Lovely language for both the building of the trail and the taking of same. An elegant reminder to use the trails so generously provided. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Tanita! I love hiking, so it confuses me sometimes that I sometimes need to remind myself to get out there and enjoy nature. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.
LikeLike
Trailbuilders could be seen as both concrete and metaphorical. Your poem takes me on a hike through the woods to peace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Margaret, if I think about it too much it gets a bit overwhelming. It’s more than worth pondering, though. Someday I hope to spend time on trails in your neck of the woods!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tim, your poem is a keeper. It sings of a deep and abiding appreciation of time spent close to nature. You retain a sense of the woodland trail even when are are no longer in that space. It lives within you. How else could you write so elequently about it? It reminds of the practice often referred to as ‘forest bathing’ a mindful and restorative, therapeutic practice. I think my appreciation of your poem is heightened by my childhood history growing up in a heavily forested temperate rian forest area. i still go back from time to time, just to get a fix. Your poem has the same therapeutic affect on me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your comments, Alan. I’m glad to hear you had a childhood with a forest for a setting. I haven’t ever participated in a forest bathing session, but only because of scheduling. From all I’ve read about it, though, it’s a guided practice I know I’d love. I hope you’re able to get a “fix” (I also use that word to describe getting outside) sometime soon!
LikeLike
By the time I reached the end of your poem I was itching to get outside! I appreciate the use of all the terms (I recently learned what a switchback is) as I generally don’t think about those things. The language to describe your observations is beautiful – so peaceful. Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rose, I hope you’re able to get outside soon! (If you didn’t over the weekend.) The vocabulary of almost any activity fascinates me, and I enjoy seeing how it can be worked into daily conversation. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
Wherever I hike, I pray a prayer to the trail builders — and to The Trail Builder.
Beautiful poem!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said, Patricia. I do the same thing.
LikeLike
Not only is your poem a lovely ode, Tim, but you sent me down a switchback path. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Karen — Happy Trails!
LikeLike
Tim, your poem makes me think back on the amazing trailblazers from the past and those that continue the art in modern times. Your imagery brings the wonder of the trail and nature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Carol. Walking is the earliest mode of transportation, and those early trailblazers were indeed amazing!
LikeLike
Wow, Tim, so much newness here. I’m impressed that you continue to learn and for challenging us to learn. It makes one all the more appreciative of the things around us. Your extension of the trail makers to ask about the dew and the birds (with capital letters!) and then about how they created Silence and Peace. Just a beautiful poem that will keep me thinking of it the next time I am out on the trail by my house.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Denise, thank you for your comments. I hope you’re able to get out on the trail soon! It’s hard for me to hike and not find myself lost in the bigness of it all. Bigness, with so many tiny details…I love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes to this!
“a good trail really is so much more than just a path in the woods!”
Tim, thank you for sharing your lovely poem. As a hiker myself, I can really relate to the wonder you share here. Thank goodness for the trailblazers who help us enter into so many places of peace and paradise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading, Cathy! I’m so appreciative of the work the trail crews do on the nature preserves and parks near here. Literally and figuratively, I’d be lost without them!
LikeLike