The Free Radical

There’s always something new and startling to see. Here, the red ‘quills’ growing out of this stump appear to be the new shoots of some kind of grass? lichen? moss? fungus? Who knows. It looked like a sunburned porcupine to me!

That was on the way to the Gorge again… where I went last week to check on the prospect of harvesting some fresh Devil’s Club shoots. Last week the Gorge was still slumbering with the last moments of winter’s long sleep; the buds hadn’t burst yet. This time it was Darren’s idea to revisit that place… but with the very same result. We were still at least a week early. (Darren’s pretty crazy about the new-growth devil’s club– his new favourite treat. He was passing through the valley, and he is never one to pass up a possible harvesting opportunity.)

I’m always appreciative of good company, whether fellow human compatriots or the Forest critters.

In the tangled underbrush of the Gorge, this grouse flew up from underfoot and then stood stock still on this branch, presumably with the idea that we perhaps hadn’t noticed its frenzied flight, or maybe that we’d promptly forgotten that it was right there. Both Grouse and Snake mistakenly believe in their own invisibility. Good thing they’re fecund breeders!

Then on the way back down into more familiar territory we encountered the first sure bear sign of the season. This deposit was relatively fresh and was fairly close to the area around the swamp where I typically see bears… and the odd Bigsquatch footprint.

And speaking of Bigsquatch, a friend of mine who channels this shape-shifting Forest magician relayed a message to me: that Piudi (bigsquatch’s name) found me amusing and entertaining, and that he rather liked the epithet ‘bigsquatch,’ even referring to himself now as such. I was also reminded that the Sasquatch People are actually shape-shifters, and that my recent encounters with Master Red-Tail (Red-Tailed Hawk) were in fact interactions with Piudi himself. And the final bit of the message was that my friend Angie wasn’t into being our go-between anymore, and that I’d have to cultivate my own relationship and communications with Piudi.

Indeed, there have been many ‘messages’ lately left for me along the trail… mostly cut and broken branches left in places along our regular route where only I would find them. I must admit, though, that I’m at a bit of a loss as to what the messages might mean.

Here, we came across an egg right in the middle of the path. A few minutes later, a hawk (not Red-Tail) flew over us, pausing a moment to hover directly above Darren and me. If this was another message from Bigsquatch, its significance eludes me. (We determined that it was Hawk by its voice; Hawk almost always speaks to me at these encounters.)

Anyway, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always know exactly what’s going on in the Forest, but I’m in good company… and I always enjoy a good mystery.