Home»HIKING/SWIMMING/M-CYCLING»09/30/22_Joaquin_Miller

Сумрак - ты друг, ты покрывало
Нового дня ты завтра начало
Песня сверчков прекрасна в тебе
Тихо внутри меня, мирно во вне.


Tim,

How are you? I've been thinking lots about you and how when I was a student you said one time (to all of us): "Whatever you do for yourself, keep doing it."

I've always loved walking. Throughout my time at Hopkins I took long walks through the Waverly area, up to Roland Park and beyond. I got Al to move to California because I love walking here.

Then I discovered Bay swimming, and walking became a thing I did for Escher the dog.

Escher is 13 and I prefer not to put him in the car at all unless it's to go to the vet. He's got lanky legs and he won't lie down in the car so he tires himself out. Somehow I stopped going to the hills... even for me.

At the end of August and just this last Friday I took myself on my favorite walk next to the house. It only takes 2 hours: short drive there, short drive back and about an hour and a half in the hills.

It starts with some overlooks of Oakland and the Bay, dips into a bay laurel forest followed by an amazing redwood grove -- they're so tall and straight and this trail is at mid level of the trees, you can see down to a trail below where they start growing, and you can hardly see up to the sky where they end. In the spring forget-me-nots line this area, and ferns.

Past the elbowy oak tree, around a few corners... the texture of the dirt is precious with triangular designs and different wavelike conformations. Then comes some of my favorite part... a descent into an area where the trail becomes soft yellow sand (you can see mountain bike tracks and your feet fall soft into it), and there is a eucalyptus grove around you. Silver of eucalyptus leaves couples with the seasonal gaiety of yellow and red poison oak leaves.

As you turn around, dusk falls softly. The bats make little chrip-kiss noises all about you. And the crickets sing a beautiful calming symphony.

Thanks for the reminder, Tim. Don't stop doing what you do for yourself.