travelogue

i hiked up buffalo mountain today, going up the eastern side first, then descending on the south-western part. i hadn't been up all the way since fall, when emily and i hiked with pat, then later with corey, then later with my sister and adam. the trails were wet and muddy, snow still camped in the shadows of trees, but it was warm, sun out, and i sweated a lot. i wanted to walk my mind clear. at the top, on one side there's a view of the city below, distant and pretend as a toy, and on the other side more mountains, cast in a haze of blue shadow. i brought up Basho's The Narrow Road to the Deep North. i read about him wanting to become a weather-beaten skeleton. that sounded good. then i hiked down. the streams rushed due to all the melting snow, and in one, i slipped on some ice and crashed into the water. somehow my ankle came out of it sore, but that ankle's always sore. i'm tired, dirty, and smell bad in a good way.