Trail Talk – October 2020

As we hope for the smoke to clear and the out-of-doors to become welcoming again after some fall rains, we are obligated to take stock of our climate crisis. “Mega-drought” feels overused, but how else do we account for streams that seem to never run, waterfalls that never fall, bogs where we never get bogged down, and forests dying from lack of water? Local wildfires, driven by winds akin to the desert Santa Anas of Southern California, have affected even us in Jacksonville. Our friends and families have been forced to flee their homes—homes they can never return to—often with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. We count our blessings that it wasn’t us, that we have resources we can share with those most affected, but we keep a weather-eye to the sky, nonetheless.

No one wants to take on the role of Cassandra of Troy in uttering dire prophecies, but Holy Jumping Up-and-Down Martha! Sitting indoors during Extremely Unhealthy Air Quality at relatives’ homes, while there’s no power or water in my neighborhood for the foreseeable future (due to the utter destruction of our electrical system from the high winds and resulting wildfire) does tend to make one pessimistic. Seeing the leveling of entire towns first-hand does tend to make one more anxious about the future of our local environment.

We have a responsibility to hold our elected officials and their appointees to task to take steps to prepare for what seems more inevitable with each passing drier-than-normal water year. We personally need to assess our own preparedness for such an event: making sure our neighborhood is deemed “fire-safe,” that our “Go Now Bag” is packed and ready to grab, and we’ve made plans on where to go. Our town council meetings need citizen and professional input on steps to take to prevent another such disaster in our community and our surrounding woodland areas.

This is not the Trail Talk I wanted to write…I’d rather point out the beautiful changing colors of the season as one hikes under the spreading, big-leafed maples on Jackson Creek Nature Trail in Forest Park. Or take note of the earthy aromas of moist soils as the Fall mushrooms push forth from the forest duff in the madrone groves along Petard Ditch Loop and Canyon Vista Trails. Or relish the opportunity to be out in the wilds during mid-day without the staggering heat of these past few months.

Muscle memory demands that we stretch our legs, be it hiking or running. Our lungs cry out for fresh-scrubbed air. As we look to cooler, wetter times, we anticipate muddy shoes and damp clothes, of rain pattering on the roof of the new P2 shelter in Forest Park (constructed by Eagle Scouts Logan James and Parker Allen), and hiking in the Jacksonville Woodlands with the new Benchmark Maps’ edition of the Woodlands map with its accurate trail mileages and wonderful photos.

This gives me hope.