The Patriarch

There are few things as splendid as following a lonely mountain road that twists and curves as it follows a meandering stream across the valley floor.  That is, until you reach a trail head and begin a journey into a place where the loudest voice is the whispering wind chasing secrets through the seasoned bare branches of the trees.  

A quick 1.3 mile jaunt brings me to a waterfall... the stubbornly relentless thrum of white cascades carving the timeless stone face of the falls.  I lose myself in the sounds, focusing on nothing.  Then a patch of too-green moss clinging to a dampened alcove in the rock draws my attention.  To the side, an off-cast trickle seeps, dwarfed by the boisterous falls.  Regardless of the differences, all of this works in a symphony to forge a basin that beckons to tired feet and sweaty brows.  This is where most travelers stop, take their rest, and then return to their cars.  But there is always more beauty bestowed on the less-traveled trail.  

Where the asphalt ends and the trail continues, the anticipatory element of surprise calls like a long lost friend, drawing me onward.  I am lost... not literally, but figuratively in the surroundings that bring me the most peace.  

The forest.  

The crisp smells of winter air.  

The constant breeze that cools my skin and calms my heart.

I gaze around and the moss covered bones of once towering beacons of timber cause my pause.  One more corner... just see what's there, around one more corner.  

The bend in the trail is the one I was looking for, the one that enticed me to continue; I gaze in wonder at the stoic last virgin strand standing elegantly defiant against the odds.  And there he was: The Patriarch among the elders.  He was no longer a tree, he was a symbol of antiquity.  His roots no longer staking a claim on the ridge but defining a mountainside.  His bark a corrugated, fathomless shell giving testament of his age.  

This wasn't a tree... this was a stark yet delicate poem that draws you in and moves you.  

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Stephanne Dennis is an outdoor enthusiast extraordinaire. A highly skilled backpacker and apex predator specialist, she shares her love of the outdoors with her unrivaled writing skills and her faithful companion, Bandit McKaye, her Anatolian Shepherd. She is currently studying Wildlife Biology at Oregon State University and dedicates her time and skills to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation.