LISTEN:
Marjorie Turner Hollman supports nonfiction authors self-publish their books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Let’s get in touch.
Summer is not my favorite season. Yes, I love the green, the sunshine, and flowers. Farm-fresh produce is great. Local u-pick opportunities are exciting (to me).
But it’s the heat, the way it affects me physically, that makes me feel as though I am walking through molasses. Those nights I cannot sleep make me long for snowy nights in mid-winter.
So when cool breezes met me as I got out of the car, I hurried to the tow path of Riverbend Farm, alongside the Blackstone Canal in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Even though it was after 10 o’clock in the morning when I set out, the air was still dry, the breeze cool, and trees still offered shade along the path.
There is something about taking a breath of cool, dry, summer air that is so uplifting. But it is the shade, and the contrast each time I step out into the sunshine, that grabs my attention. The sunshine is ok for a span of time. But soon, I long for shade. As soon as I step back into the shadows, the breeze seems to know I am there. The wind picks up and cools me off. The shadows created by the trees, dappled shade that spurs my steps, make for delightful paths sheltered by leafy trees.
A few days after my shady walk along the canal, we headed to Coventry, RI to the Trestle Trail. This was a hotter day, but we brought along our tandem bicycle, which meant we could travel much farther than my legs could carry me.
It also meant that I could wear my cooling vest (which is heavier than I can manage when walking) to help me cope with the heat. There too we found generous amounts of shade. As we sailed down the rail trail pedaling our tandem bicycle, I recalled another summer when there was almost no shade in this same location.
The moths on that past visit had denuded substantial areas of woods throughout Rhode Island. Gypsy (now called spongy) moth’s populations multiply, then crash with some regularity. The trail had been littered with small scraps of green, what was left of the tree canopy. Oaks were bare. Moths had begun chewing pine needles in their desperate hunger as their population surged. Sunlight bore down, and the ride that day was hot.
On our more recent visit, the trees had leafed out again. The moth invasion had abated. Their community had crashed. The trees had survived the onslaught. Once more, we had natural shade, a respite from summer temperatures. Although the heat was present, the shade offered a respite, cooling breezes that made for a delightful summer ride.
There will be sunny days ahead, and winter strips most leaves off the trees, making for open views through the woods, revealing stone walls that lay hidden in summer’s greenness. Ah, New England Stone walls. Now that’s another story ….
More info about the Trestle trail
Happy trails!
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman 