Haiku: Mount Shasta, Late April

A day of late snow on the slopes of Mt. Shasta.

Haiku: Mount Shasta, Late April

Copyright 2009 by Terrence Whitson

 

Snowflakes are drifting

Across the cabin's dirt road

Strange, unexpected

 

Rolling through Fort Jones

The fall thickens, flying wild

A butterfly swarm

 

Leaving the valley

Over Forest Mountain Pass

Snow covering rocks

 

Down to Yreka

The twenty-first of April

And it’s still snowing

 

Across the high plains

Blowing snow on Highway Five

Steers grazing, heedless

 

Up Black Butte Summit

Steering through tight truck convoys

Fighting icy slush

 

Mount Shasta City

Crouching beneath low, grey cloud

Hunching its shoulders

 

Highway Eighty-Nine

Angling east toward McLeod

Wind rocking the trees

 

Turn off to Ski Park

It's closed now, season over

Downhill mindset past

 

Climb cloud-bound ridges

Corridor with packed snow walls

Road sounds quiet now

 

The Nordic Center

Parking lot a white carpet

Two ravens greet me

 

Suit up and boot up

Dress the skis with Maxiglide

Slow strokes, up and down

 

Strap on the back pack

Hoist and shoulder skis and poles

Shake loose the muscles

 

Up by the crater

The warming hut's empty nest

Click into bindings

 

Stride off and turn right

Up Twist and Shout, breaking trail

Steady push and glide

 

The snow becomes dense

Slanting down across the track

Pull down the goggles

 

Notice other tracks

Rabbit, coyote, puma

Sharing the mountain

 

Out of the forest

Steeper now, around the bend

Sweating in the gloves

 

Turn onto Cloud Nine

Working up toward the top

Snow falling lightly

 

Plowing off-trail now

Through the trees toward the crest

The Destination

 

Stand still there and breathe

Drinking air like mountain water

Muscles relaxing

 

The ski park below

Like a ghost town carnival

Lift towers shrouded

 

Click loose the bindings

Plant the poles deep on one side

Shrug out of the pack

 

Its contents spill out

Space blanket, baggies, thermos

A mountainside lunch

 

Sit, eat, drink and think

Plan the run down the mountain

Imagining trails

 

Cloud Nine to Skyline

Enjoy that long, downhill glide

To the Bear Springs Loop

 

Around the backside

Then take East Up Everitt

Back to the trailhead

 

Plan decided, meal done

Stretch out and take it all in

The sky, the stillness

 

No snow in the air

Clouds are blowing off Red Butte

White, clinging streamers

 

Above the sky clears

In deep blue a hawk appears

Weaving slow spirals

Reviews

[ericdeben]

You did a good job with imagery. I'm currently working on my imagery for my book "Anonymous" and this is going to help when I go to describe the setting.

[....]

Oh this is so wonderful, I really enjoyed this. Such wonderful detail and imagery. You paint a wonderful picture....xo