9/12 11:56am (goddard mountain) wind blows mist downward through the trees 6:54pm (kid gore shelter) drifting to sleep- another passing rain 8:54pm the wind rustles the highest leaves- sound of rain 9/13 1:40am rain has calmed i put down my book and drift again to sleep rain has calmed the pitter patter of raindrops lulls me to sleep eh. the rain has calmed my eyes too sleepy to read 8:34am the cobwebs on the red leaves untouched by the rain 12:30pm (near stratton road) like a crumbling city a recent footstep decomposes back into mud cannonball! my left foot splashes into a puddle 4:25pm (hiking down stratton) sing to the woods afterwards they show me their silence 9/14 12:20pm (after douglas) a single leaf falls on the country road 9/16 8:08am (after bromley) blue bird flies away into the misty trees 10:44am (after pern??) rock engulfed in the roots of a fallen tree 3:54pm (by suspension bridge) the wave in the current fights to go back upstream 5:41pm (near lake shelter) green & red the path forward covered with moss & leaves 9/17 7:27am (pond) like a diving sparrow a wet leaf falls into the pond 9:50am (white ridge) a tree with its slow & steady determination seems to have split a rock 10am blue jay jumps from branch to branch in the mountain pines did some yoga in the fallen pine needles calm air (white mountain overlook) like little spirits rocks perched in treestumps and branches the pain in my left inner knee tugs gently at my tear duct like rimbaud's "tatters of silver" copper bark hangs wildly to the mountain birch 11:36am (after road) dragonfly wing? no- piece of plastic 12:09pm (ascending bear mountain) hiking up the mountain the snaps & crackles of falling acorns daddy longlegs must not know it's crossing the trail another mushroom that looks like overboiled crab 12:48pm passing an empty creek i hear the sound of water 1:30pm like ghosts, or a memory i see two people i met yesterday in the distance an acorn falls hard in front of me- luckily not on my head 2:04pm the barkless tree has a long belly button of all the white wildflowers one batch is lavendar-colored 9/18 7:28am wet socks draped over a curved tree like a mushroom growth (memory from last night) 7:54am early creep of autumn- even some ferns are orange 9:03am within an hour hiking uphill- last night's fatigue 9:45am the hours go on- as long as i'm moving, so do the miles 10:46am (ascending killington) like a stubborn dog that grumbles every moment its not pet- my hungry stomach look who's joined the party! my right outer knee 4:55pm holding my thumb out to hitch whiff of my armpit 9/19 9:44am in the sunny woods cool beadlets of sweat 10:23am (after gap) the leaf catches my eye before its graceful descent 10:36am acorn lands on the autumn leaves and bounces 3:52pm the same woods look different in the early sunset light 5:35pm the creek under the bridge chutes & ladders 6:33pm sun on the next mountain comforts me hiking at dusk another temporary fall i catch myself and walk forward 7:18pm walking with my headlamp just me and nocturnal moths 9/20 3:03pm at the abandoned ski lift- a buzzing fly 5:26pm tree fall down showing the vastness of its roots 6:30pm two trees fallen cradled in each other's arms 9/23 6:11pm in burlington everyone has a pickup truck 9/25 8:08am two sheepdog, protecting the chicken run to the fence and bark at me 9/26 10:49am the upside down red maple leaves like pink stars on the brown pine-laden earth 12:11pm the young tree with red leaves has broken its neck 2:36pm (ascending mt mansfield) on the rocks the directions of white blazes guide the way 9/27 up in the clouds raindrops all along the pines 9/28 9:08am on the mountainside in haze and hazmat- the grass cutters 9/29 1:42pm laraway mountain muddy cold and overcast- i dream of my parents' warm car 9/30 8:15am walking uphill into the tall green maples- luminous green dome 10/2 11:01am leaves endlessly fall- the floor looks like a burnt amber kaleidoscope 2:03pm the trail is water- and reflecting this autumn wonderland 2:08pm to have walked through and changed like the trees ¹