One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner…, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve, or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six. Dylan Thomas, from A Child’s Christmas in Wales. I like to read certain stories as we move through the holiday season. This one is special to me as my ancestors were Welch. Years ago, local poet, David Whyte, used to read it for us in his authentic British accent. I can relate to some of the characters, like the old man who “would take his constitutional to the white bowling green and back, as he would take it wet or fine on Christmas Day or Doomsday…” It always makes me smile, even though our snow had melted. I was stuffed after my holiday feast of food, family, and friends, but unlike the uncles in the story who were content to sit by the fire smoking their pipes, I felt the need for a walk. I knew a wall of rain and wind was just hours away, so I headed for Trillium Woods. Hunting season was over, and with over 700 acres, I knew I could walk for hours without running out of trail. I’ve walked through Trillium Woods countless times with its green and grey trees and lush underbrush. But I was surprised and delighted to see gold glowing fungi on the trail from Smugglers Cove Road. I walked to Patrick’s Way and turned left toward the red gate at the Pacific Dogwood trailhead. Several trees had fallen across the trail and a crew with a chainsaw had cleared them leaving bright orange cut log ends like faces smiling as I passed. A wet spruce cone and a dried fir twig lay at my feet sharing the same golden pallet. Later, on a side trail I noticed willow leaves beaming yellow. Three colorfully clad ladies, trekking and talking at a fast clip, emerged from behind a toppled tree on the Raven Trail. At one spot I was surrounded by golden crowned kinglets and chestnut backed chickadees. All added color to an otherwise grey day. I made my way to the Bounty Loop entrance where there’s a trail accessible for wheelchairs. A large tree had fallen there and been cut into sections that now sat beside the trail. I counted the rings. The tree and I were about the same age. Some rings were broad indicating years of great abundance, and some were thin, just getting by. I reflected on my own life. The year I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail was a very good year for me. A couple of rings later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer while my mother was dying of pancreatic cancer. That was a hard one. I thought about the phone call I’d just made to my father back east. He’s 95 and suffers from dementia. He said he had to pack to go to his mother’s house. His mother passed a long time ago and I knew he wouldn't be leaving home. But I realized after the call that when we were kids, we’d pack up and go see his mother for Christmas dinner. I thought of the concentric circles of the cut trees, and my Dad’s mind circling through all the Christmases of his 95 years, “One Christmas was so much like another”. I thought about my own Christmas memories, gathering with extended family in the 200-year-old homestead, or stuck in an airport as many were this year. Lately, I’ve celebrated at home with a few friends and family. We eat too much, share stories, sing and play by the fireside. And we walk together “wet or fine on Christmas Day or Doomsday”. After the guests departed, the dishes were washed, and food put away… "I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept." Maribeth To hear A Child’s Christmas in Wales read by the author click here. Directions:
To learn more about Trillium Community Forest, find a trail map with wildlife guide on the back, and get directions to all three entrances click here. Bus and Bike: Smugglers Cove Road is the best approach by bike with wide shoulders and less traffic than Highway 525. Island Transit’s Route 1 bus runs both north and south along Smuggler’s Cove Road. Check here for the bus schedule. Mobility: The Bounty Loop Road entrance has a .2 mile loop trail that is wheelchair accessible. Patrick’s Way, the main trail down the middle of the park, is a wide, gently sloping old forest road. It is most easily accessible from the Pacific Dogwood entrance which starts with a paved but hilly road. The other trails are narrow with some puddles. To read a story of a man who tries out the trails in his wheelchair click here.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
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