~ sunday hike ~

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Pictures courtesy of my smartphone!

On Sundays, we make time to stretch our legs outside.

Today, we walked the Persimmon Trail at our local botanical gardens.

We heard our first frogs of the year!

Daddy shows the girls how to cup their ears to gather more sound.

The ground was still damp from rain the night before.

The late Winter and early Spring rains bring out amphibians of all kinds.

We walked slowly down the trail,

creeping toward the sound of frogs in the creek.

The wet leaves were quiet under our feet.

Those frogs are so smart!

As soon as one spots us, he quiets down.

His neighbor notices that he's not singing,

so he quiets down too.

The silence makes its way down the creek,

until the frogs seem far off again.

Walking along the edge, 

frogs are invisible right before your eyes! 

We leave the trail, and walk along the edge.

 A thicket of invasive Elaeagnus ahead provides cover along the creek,

and the chorus is loudest there.

We leave the camera and backpack behind,

and crouch down

weaving our way through the dense undergrowth.

Behind a large sycamore tree,

we can just see the large still pool.

The sound of the frogs, several different species,

is so loud in our ears it is no necessary to amplify it at all.

We all sit there in the dampness, struck by the amazing sounds.

It seems as if the frogs are just under our feet,

and I close my eyes to focus on individuals.

I am breathing the sound.

Overhead, a chickadee makes conversation.

The minutes of magic have passed,

the girls are restless, 

though Mike and I could have sat there the rest of the day.

The three of them walk slowly forward,

less and less cautious as they peacefully jostle for position of the leader.

For a moment, I think that the frogs may not notice them, 

but then suddenly - - - silence.

Three blonde heads whip around toward us.

A single frog continues to sing just near Mike.

Then he realizes he's the only one, and then everything is silent around us.

The mood instantly shifts from quiet reverence and awe

to playful exploration. 

We make our way out of the thicket,

and back on the trail.

~carrie~