"melting drifts -
layers tell the stories
of winter storms
A young child and his family spend their day hiking a dormant volcano: South Sister in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. They can see from their camping site, in the early morning light, a blazing red crest that offers welcome. It's cool when they begin. The boy is anxious to leave the bothersome mosquitoes far behind him.
As they hike, his senses are fully engaged in all that surrounds him. He adds his footprints to the many others that have walked the trail. Passing close to a quick-moving stream, the boy asks to change their course, where he finds tiny toads on the path. The old rock, once molten lava, is everywhere. The wind is cold. There is much to see as they climb higher and higher: snow, animal tracks, a lake that provides a place to rest, a snack, and the noise their feet make as they continue upward. The boy is always aware of the sights and sounds that mark their climb.
Haiku poems describe their entire climb as he shares his awareness of nature and its many facets. Heading back is much easier that the day's ascent. and the evening rest at their campground is much appreciated, but for the mosquitoes. It's been a grand adventure. Once comfortable back in his sleeping bag, he has a final thought.
"trying to sleep -
what mountain will I climb
next?
In back matter, poet Curtis Manley adds further information about climbing a mountain, notably South Sister, and the geology of the Cascade Range. He also offers advice concerning personal needs for climbing a mountain and asks potential climbers to leave no trace of having been there, except footprints. There's also a short description of the haiku poetic form, before artist Jennifer Mann adds mixed media images of the living things they have seen on their trek up and down the mountain. Further information, including a list of books and websites, is added.
"the glint of cars
from where we camped -
not even specks"
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