Magical Trees

Magical Trees
            Have you ever been walking along and suddenly noticed a tree that is so fascinating, it stops you in your tracks? Perhaps you’ve seen a gnarled old oak tree that makes you feel like you are in a Tolkien book, or stood on a hill high above the ocean with a smooth line of land paralleling the horizon except for one grand tree standing iconically in silhouette against the sky.
            Sometimes it’s the close-up view of a tree that draws me in. Patterns of bark on eucalyptus trees, the bright white bark of birch trees, and the reddish-bronze, sinewy surface of madrone bark—all of these make me stop to soak up the visual treasures for a moment.
            How wondrous that something as simple as a tree can stir up strong feelings, and perhaps even buried memories, just by happening upon them as we walk.
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, El Polin Spring-Presidio Walk, takes readers to a historic area of San Francisco’s Presidio that has one of my favorite trees, hidden from easy sight.
            Do you have any special trees that you remember from childhood, or like to visit now? Enjoy that magical feeling, and keep putting one foot forward!
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This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 115: El Polin Spring-Presidio Walk