small

Horses can make us feel 10 feet tall, or very small.

twisty oaks

waterfall tangle

tiny tree ferns

found some orange, a last autumn leaf

So can the world around us. Exploring in the rain I felt a small part of such a large world. Maybe because the trails were empty and quiet, huge gray pines leaned precariously along cliffs, and the 700+foot tall bridge loomed above, but all the tiny things were abundant.

towering bridge

UFO graffiti, complete with alien

For scale: I'm there, on the upper tier corner, a tiny figure in green.

Raindrops glistened on leaves, the roar of the river below almost deafening, towering oaks covered in tiny ferns, the view from above of the beloved No Hands bridge, a tiny span in the distance.

No Hands peeks from between oaks

No Hands and our tiny car

creeks to cross

Sometimes I see the horrible impact we have made on this planet and feel despair. Plastic flotsam along the river bank, clearcut for a new development, burned truck along a trail, paving another oak woodland for a superstore. But usually it feels right to be in places where the human imprint feels a bit smaller.

ferns and moss

yellow wildflower with tiny gnat too

a poppy stays closed until the sun reappears

purple rain

glowing red

3-leaved almost-shamrocks feel at home

silver sparkles

even poison oak and lichen are lovely

And given enough time, the trails will grow over, the roads crack, the bridges fall. Still the raindrops, leaves, flowers and creatures would go on.

black swallowtail

wild things doing the wild thing

watch your step: even banana slugs have the right of way here

It felt good to be small. Some people feel more important when they see the things humans have built. Instead I prefer to enjoy what will still be there long after we are gone.

(If you want to read more on the subject, there is a great book about our lack of lasting impact: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. I read it many years ago, and have read it again a couple times. Check it out!)