|
  |
|
|
Walk With Me and See
By J D Black
Walk with Me and See Banff
The world is so beautiful, son. Let’s take a hike.
Okay Daddy. How far?
It is hundreds of miles, son. I will carry you. It is worth it to see these things. And it is far nicer to share them with my son.
The Daddy picked up his five-year-old son, and perched him high atop his backpack.
Don’t eat all the food, or kick off my hat.
I won’t Daddy. Where are we hiking first? Arches
See the arches? Two side by side. One inside another. One so long we could put our whole yard under it.
That’s a nice hike Daddy. May I have the water bottle?
You little monkey. You poured it on my head.
You seemed hot, Daddy. Iguazu
See the waterfalls. Hundreds of them. We will hike for miles before we see them all.
They sound like thunder. They scare me.
But look at the butterflies. Hundreds of them, too.
That one has a clown face. Oh, that one has a light in its wings.
It is a morpho. They shine. Now look at the lace in the waterfalls. Do you think Mommy could make a pretty dress out of that lace?
Silly Daddy. Escalante
The Daddy set up camp on the sand under an overhang. He fixed dinner, then sat back with his arm around his son.
This is nice Daddy, there must be a million, hundred, seventeen, twenty, twenty stars up there. What was that?
That was a shooting star. It is really a piece of dust flying through the atmosphere and glowing, but it looks like a star is falling, doesn’t it?
There’s another one. And another.
I like watching meteors when the sky is so dark.
What’s a meteor?
Another name for the falling star—the glowing dust.
So many names for the same thing. Why is that Daddy?
Just for fun. Do you like knowing so many names? Lake Superior Forest
So where do we go today? Don’t you ever get tired of hiking? Why are there no other people around? Don’t they like pretty places? Look at the doggy.
He isn’t a dog, but he looks like one, doesn’t he? He’s a fox, and he is trying to find the dinner we left at our camp.
Let’s chase him away.
Let’s watch him first. Lots of people have never seen a fox, because they don’t hike into the woods.
They just stay at home?
Yes.
Silly people.
It is just as well. They might throw around beer cans, or play loud music, or race motorcycles around, and then no one would ever see a fox. Isn’t he pretty.
I’m glad we can see the fox, and that nobody else comes here.
I’m glad too. Pacific Crest Trail
Are you awake, Daddy? The sky is pink. I can see forever up here. Is that mountain clear over on the end of the earth?
Almost. We might hike over there someday. Right now the sun is just waking up, and I can hear the marmots.
What are they?
Furry animals. They chase each other just when the sun is coming up. Sit up slowly so you don’t surprise them, and look over at the rocks.
What was that? Did you bring a flute?
That marmot saw you. That whistle is how they warn each other. Be still and they will play a while longer.
Hey, that one chased the other one, and they rolled down the hill.
Just like little boys, aren’t they? Bryce Canyon
Look at all the fairies and goblins, Daddy.
The park ranger calls them Hoodoos, and they call that the Silent City. Listen.
It isn’t quiet. I can hear birds, and a river.
It isn’t a river. It is the wind, trying to find its way out of the canyon.
That one looks like a monster.
So do you like monsters, or hoodoos, or goblins best?
All of them. Why aren’t there any green ones?
The trees could be green monsters.
Goody. Now they come in every color. Stillaguamish River
So why are we hiking in the river Daddy?
Why do you think?
Your feet are hot?
Nope.
The rocks are pretty? Is one of them gold?
Nope.
Oh look. A huge fish, clear out of the water. How can he even swim?
He has a hard time, doesn’t he. He is on his way to where the salmon lay their eggs.
Have other people ever seen this, Daddy?
Not many. They are too lazy, or too loud, or too busy.
I’m glad you brought me here.
Me, too. Big Four Mountain
You see that?
What?
Look closer, right by my feet.
What is it?
Here, I’ll lift you down closer, but don’t touch.
The flower?
No, the brown with white dots.
It’s a deer!
Yes, a fawn. I almost stepped on him because he is so hard to see. You didn’t see him either, did you?
What’s that up the trail?
Ice Caves.
Why are they blue?
Ahh, that is the greatest mystery in the universe. You tell me.
When they fell off the mountain, they caught a piece of the sky. It’s cold in here, Daddy. Let’s go out. Tongue Point Tide Pool
Better hold my hand down here, son.
It’s slickery.
Yep.
That’s a sea star. I know that. What’s that? And that? And that? And that? And that?
Urchin, periwinkle, mussel, limpet, sponge. Let’s look in that crack under the sponge.
I don’t see anything.
Let’s try a deeper crack.
Yikes, Daddy, what’s that?
An octopus.
He flows like he is made of water.
He mostly is. Coyote Gulch
It is tight in here. I can stand on both walls.
That is why they call it a slot canyon. Remember where we put the credit card in the machine to get the gas?
Uh huh.
That is a slot.
This slot is bigger than that slot. We can stick ourselves in.
I like the way the colors look.
Look Daddy. You can just barely see the sky up there through that notch.
There are two bald eagles spiraling up there. Watch. They might fly over again.
There they go, Daddy!
Do you like our hikes?
Let’s do this every day. Yucatan Jungle
It is hot. I’m thirsty. I’m tired. Where’s a river to sit in?
Careful where you sit, son. Jungles have sharp places.
Looky, Daddy. The ants. They go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on. They are eating leaves.
No, they are cutting leaves and taking them to the nest. Where do you think the nest is?
Let’s follow them and find out.
No, let’s not. I’m too hot to take another mile-long hike.
Me too, Daddy. Home
The little boy ran to his Mommy. Mommy, Mommy, you’ll never guess what we saw this time. He told everything, a flood of words so fast his Mommy could only nod and smile. The Daddy put down the backpack in the hallway. His eyes shone too.
JDBlack, aka Mr. Education, tour guide, outdoorsman, international educator, grandpa, gardener, bookworm, philosopher, and above all, Daddy.
|
Contributor's Note
3,000 miles through the back country over 50 years, but the 250 with my own kids were the best.
|
|
|
 |
|
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
Beautiful... "slickery" is the kind of word only children can make up. 
 | | nick Apr 27, 2011 12:09 | |
Your Intel shows just how much of the wonders of the world most people miss because they are too busy to take a little walk now and then.
The copyright for this content entitled "Walk With Me and See" has been specified by the contributor as:
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Details 
This content may be copied, distributed, and modified, as long as a) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page, and b) if the work is modified, the result is distributed with this same license.
If you use this content according to the license specified, you must link to the following URL:
http://jdblack.qondio.com/
|
|
|
This intel was contributed by jdblack
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
