Yesterday was our 52nd anniversary. To celebrate, I revisited a ridge above the South Fork, our first search in El Dorado County, almost forty years ago. I couldn’t pinpoint the spot where Hatch’s dog Pepper led us straight down to the river but now, looking at the topography, I can only wonder if it was so exceedingly steep back then. Of course, we were younger....
Trying to Find a Nameless Place
So dark the forest, so narrow the road, and look
how they stabilized the slope with a boulder-chute
to keep the whole ridge from eroding away.
What time and weather do to us humans, and the land.
I found a wide spot to park the car and walk.
No Trespassing a sign said, but who in his right mind
would try to go there? On the uphill side, another
wide spot littered with shell casings and trash –
what we humans do to the land. But, just beyond
a stringer of conifers and alder, the clearest
most graceful little waterfall. The things we might
overlook, that make the journey worthwhile.
~ Taylor Graham
