Most of the photos in my most recent blog postings were captured during my hike last week at Prince William Forest Park, which was a break from my usual wildlife-focused images. It is time to hit the trails again after this brief respite, but I thought I would conclude this mini-series with a final photo from the hike.
Many of you know that I love shadows and I was really struck by the tree shadows falling across the trail during the early stages of the hike. The photo gives you an idea of the size and density of the forest in which I was immersed. This trail was wide enough to serve as an emergency access route, but the majority of the trails that I traversed later in the day were significantly more narrow. The trails were pretty well defined and there were painted blazes on the trees, which were particularly useful when trails crisscrossed each other.
I grew up in New England and memorized a number of poems by Robert Frost. One of his most famous poems is entitled “The Road Not Taken.” Somehow the opening words of that poem always come to mind when I am hiking on forest trails, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth…”
In this case, however, the pictured road is the road that was taken. That day, I stuck to a familiar path, though I am prone to wander and love to explore. Who knows what I might discover beyond the next twist of the road.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love tree shadows!
Seeing as both of us are rehabbing I will have to enjoy you picture for the time being. Enjoy Mike !
Thanks, John. This is the year when I turn 70, so I am starting to realize that I am getting older. So far, though, my body is hanging in there and I am able to do most of the things that I like to do without too much trouble. Recovery, however, is a bit slower than it used to be. 🙂
So pretty, Mike. A lovely hike!
Blue Rock HorsesFrederick County, Virginiabluerockhorses.com
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Lovely, and I often recite that poem while walking in the woods, as well as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, another favorite.
Thanks for sharing, Nina. That too is one of my favorites and I well recall the final stanza, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” 🙂
My personal favorite lines:
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near. . . .
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
This reminds me of the pony in Black Beauty who was beaten for turning in at a gate where he had often taken his master. Instead of being impressed by the pony’s intelligence and initiative, the cruel master beats him because he doesn’t want him to think for himself.
The person stopping by woods, in contrast, seems to have a friendly relationship with his “little horse”, who “asks” him if he really intended to stop in the middle of nowhere.