March 20

Friday, after leg surgery and 2 months of rehab, my dog, Remi was excited to be back with me as we hiked at one of our favorite places, Forest Hill Nature Area. I decided to go in the early evening during the vernal equinox to bid farewell to Old Man Winter and celebrate the official beginning of spring. The weather was partly cloudy with a temperature of 53 degrees and a stiff wind out of the west. I headed west down Energy Hill, past Mallard Marsh and through Bobolink Meadow where I could hear the distant call of a Sandhill Crane, another harbinger of spring. In North Woods, reddish spore stalks were evident on some of the mosses and Woodland Sedge was beginning to green up the forest floor. Following the trail west, I noticed a carcass of an immature Raccoon at the base of a tree and the vernal pond next to the boardwalk was flooded. I exited the woods and circled Succession Field where some lingering patches of snow remained at the entrance to Birch Row. Entering South Woods, I found my way into Swanson Swamp on the new boardwalk where I paused to take in some sounds of the season. At 6:45pm, the exact time of the sun’s crossing the celestial equator, I exited the woods and walked into Succession Field to face the sun. Unfortunately, clouds moved in to block it. However, I stilled turned to the WSW and gazed up about 10 degrees of altitude to where the sun would be and welcomed it into the northern hemisphere. Also, I was reminded of a favorite Native American prayer:

We gather once again to celebrate the sacred Earth and the turning of the seasons
 as the maples and birches grow green in the hills, the streams rush full down the mountainside
 and our hearts fill with the promise of new beginnings. Together we will weave the web of community spanning many generations, traditions and life-styles around a shared core of deeply held Earth spirituality. The sacred fires will burn 
as the drums echo the rhythms of life and the dancers join the sparks flying toward the darkened sky. Stimulating conversations will continue from one day to the next and children's laughter will sparkle in the wooded hills. Lasting friendships will form and grow as we come together in our learning, our music, our ritual and our joy.

I turned south past Sora Swale, followed the south trail to Frog Fen and turned north to the top of Reflection Hill where I looked down on a still ice-covered Grebe Pond. Descending the hill, I came to the classroom and turned south where I paused on the observation deck. Finally, we made it the car for our trip home.

Vernal sun

Arrives at last

Celestial equator

Like in the past

Equal hours

Of dark & light

Spring begins

Time is right

Warm the ground

Awaken the earth

Nature’s cycle

Death to birth

D. DeGraaf