Going Feral

Bushwhacking in Early Spring Brings Out the Wildness Within

A mountain brook in early spring

Winter loosens its grip on the mountains. I tramp a muddy, unimproved road reaching back into a high valley until I come to a beaten path veering into the woods. I stop to catch my breath before following the path down to a brook raging with snowmelt. The path fades into a game trail that gradually disappears. That’s when I feel the first…