NATURE POETRY
A Poem from the Pacific Crest Trail.
After 2.5 months of hiking, I penned this poem.
In July 2019 and some 1,120 miles / 1,800 km into the Pacific Crest Trail, I decided to call it a day on my thru-hike ambitions. For now. Having completed my final day’s hiking, I wrote this poem over a diner breakfast. It sits somewhere between a love letter and a breakup. Yes, I’ve watched too many rom-coms. While I regret my decision, I will return to finish the journey sooner rather than later. Here’s the poem:
Arriving to Scout and Frodo’s,
An adventure to begin,
Minus a few orcs,
It was just like The Fellowship of the Ring.
A journey across the desert,
The mountains and more,
According to many,
It’s the stuff of backpacking lore.
I start giddy,
Giddy with fear.
My pack is ginormous,
As I compare with my peers.
As the desert goes on
water runs dry,
We reach our first town
And receive free pie.
It’s a marathon they say,
Definitely not a race,
I ignore all advice,
And stuff my face.
Calories upon calories,
4,000 a day,
Sooner or later,
It’s bombs away.
I’m weak, I’m vulnerable
As I hunker down.
No throne, no privacy,
Not even a crown.
Then right on cue
the Luftwaffe arrive,
They swoop and swerve,
I’m not sure I’ll survive.
Mosquitos and flies,
Left and right,
They know I’m idle, unable to fight. “Piss off!”, I scream…
