Mount Watatic is a wonderful little hike for anyone who is in shape enough to shamble up a steep hill for a little over a mile. I was hoping this was me today. You see I spent a few days bedbound with a horrendous migraine and I had grown VERY antsy in the meanwhile. I was hoping this slightly more strenuous hike could calm my restless legs. I may not have been completely ready for the challenge but I went alone and climbed at my own pace. Usually on a day as beautiful as this the parking lot is stuffed full and cars are parked aside the road for half a mile but today there was scarcely another soul to be seen. I revealed in the opportunity to take way too many photos – art filter, no art filter, marbles, no marbles. It was all good! Nature sure makes photography easy sometimes, especially when you’re somewhere as beautiful as this.

The trail starts off very flat and unassuming, winding past a little swamp. At this time of year there is water whooshing down the mountain still, run off from the winter, that creates these calming little crystal clear creeks. People are allowed to bring their dogs (on leash) here and it’s not unusual for them to jump in! A small bridge-like structure guides hikers over the water and into the woods. This is where things turn interesting because the trail winds around and becomes more and more steep, then almost flat again, then steep. You’ll pass many wood pecker hollowed trees, rotted logs, exposed roots, mushrooms, and many swarms of May flies. I swallowed a few and snorted two more. Good for the sinuses. But if that’s the only negative thing I could come up with then this was a great hike! I enjoyed the peace and majesty of the forest. I played like an imp with the shadows and I left marbles wherever I went. I was delighted to find at least some of them were gone before I came back down!

As I reached the summit I was reminded why I liked it here so much. There’s a gorgeous view of the entire area – trees, houses, a tower of some sort, that span for miles and miles as far as the eye can see. It’s such a place of majesty that it put me completely at peace with everything. Being as I was alone, which is unusual, there’s almost always other hikers up here, I took the time to soak in the sights, take a few artsy snaps and watch as the clouds drifted from one side of the sky to the other, blanketing first one corner and then another with their sweeping shadows. You cannot beat a sunny yet cloudy day when you are at the summit of a mountain. The play on light is amazing. I took some time to reflect upon life and be grateful for where I was, right now, at this point in time. As my blog grows more popular I have adventures set up with all sorts of people wanting to join me in exploring and I have never felt better. Spreading joy and wonder is surely why I was put here on this planet.

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!