I climbed the Butte today. This hill on the edge of my little hometown is favorite. I climb it at least twice a month. People ask me if I get bored going up there all the time, and my answer is always the same; how could I get bored when it's different every time?
Today the vine maple has turned golden. It's about seven feet high here and it arches over the trail, making a tunnel of colorful leaves. There is an oak tree down across the trail about a mile in. There's another one down off the trail a ways, one that has been leaning for a long time. The forest here is mixed, Douglas Fir, Oak, Maple and Madrone. In the shallow valley where the hike begins, the creek is running, after being dry all summer.
The maple leaves rattle in a gentle wind, and the air smells earthy and moist. It will rain in a couple of hours. As I top out, the views expand. At the top, the 360 degree view is ringed entirely by clouds and the wind is brisk.
I shouldn't have gone up today. I climbed yesterday and I'm so tired I have to drive myself to keep climbing. On the way down, I have to engage the now-familiar skill of accepting the fact that it's not going to feel very good until I'm down. But I do get down, and I get to have the feeling of expansiveness that always comes from being on top of something.
Today's hike:
3 miles up, 3 down, 6 total.
climb: 1500 feet
Time to summit: 1:27
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