Hiking – Page 13 – Skelton Sketches

It’s been too long

Posted on November 12, 2011April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

I haven’t done much hiking this last while since the demise of my hiking companion. And I stopped rambling the trails over across the highway even before that. They seemed to be overrun with bears and I decided to leave them to it. But now that winter’s coming, the bears are slowing down and disappearing and I decided to take the risk. You can be the judge of whether it was worth it…

This area was clear-cut a few years back and has become host to Trailing Blackberry—a cousin to the great thorny variety I suppose, but smaller and more fragrant and more exquisite in essence. I didn’t realize how richly colored their leaves could turn.

But here we are at the long-missed destination—‘The Bench’

And all I could think besides Thank-you God; it’s BEAUTIFUL! …
was, “It’s been too long!” Sooo good to get back here and sit a bit and gaze…
It wasn’t as dark as my camera portrays. It was as though there was a stage and the stage light was shining down through the curtain of cloud…

The shimmer of light on water was glorious. And I thought, how fitting that both light and water are symbolic of the Lord—the light of the world by His Spirit flowing from us in streams of living water water…

Now for a look around to see the little glories…

Refreshed, I headed home pausing along the path as colors caught my eye.

We’ve had a particularly colorful and extended Fall season this year. A delight to the eye. And somehow food for the soul…

This was the most peculiar little wonder of all, a sort of Huckleberry Hoodie. Have never seen anything like it, don’t quite know what ‘happened’ but here these berries are way beyond their season, all huddled together under a vagrant leaf…curious.

One never knows what one will find when traipsing about in God’s creation….No sign of bears, only God’s fingerprints were everywhere!
–LS
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

Fall’s Glory

Posted on October 29, 2011April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

I can’t get enough of leaves! These, from my favorite maple tree. This year I have my own sapling from one of its seeds, so maybe one year these multi-colored wonders will fall in my own yard!

And always, the Big-leaf Maples are a wonder…esp. in a dark fir and cedar wood where they fall with such a splash of color…

Our trails this week took us to this very cool bridge…

…in the middle of a very green wood with its lush moss carpeting……and a HOST of mushrooms (and toadstools?) These tiny blue ones were the bluest I’ve ever seen (sorry for the blur; it was a dark woods)
… and they come in purple too!

Now here’s one happy host!

But these are the prize ones that keep people foraging and later feasting!
Chanterelles. Very tasty.

And this little fellow came along for the ride home with the chanterelles…

But now we’ve left the wet and wonderful mushroom coast, leaving behind the rainy gray for sunny blue skies and mountains dappled in gold with the first frosting of snow on their heights. Awesome.

—LS

Homestyle days…

Posted on October 14, 2011April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

I’ve been home just a week tonight. I find it a wonder to be able to traverse in hours distances that would have been unthinkable to all the generations before us… Anyway, left Alaska with winter seeming imminent…

…and came home to take my weekly Saturday prayer hike in our lushly carpeted woodlands. It’s mushroom picking season and we gleaned some chanterelles in the process, and had a little lunch break on these rustic little ‘toadstools’ in the middle of nowhere…

Canadians jump the gun on Thanksgiving celebration so Monday we marked our pumpkin harvest with homemade pie and the classic accompaniments…Our garden also contributed the potatoes,tomatoes, sage and table decorations, oh! and the apples for the apple pie!… The best part was having all the kids (minus Micah of course) around the table for another year.

Cycling days are another commodity not to be taken for granted at this time of year. We had one of those glorious bright fall afternoons today and got to accompany our very own MP (Member of Parliament) on a promotional ride to catch the ferry—He’s “riding his riding” and was glad for the company. A local bike shop saved the day when John needed an emergency pedal replacement enroute!

And tonight just when I thought the possibility for picture-taking gone, God tinted the sunset to catch my eye and give me just one more…

“Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!” Ps.150:1
–LS
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” Ps. 27:4