Ke haʻalele nei i ke ala nui, e hele ana i ke alanui ʻelua ala e hiki aku ai i ke kahakai hikina o Avalon, ua paʻi pinepine ʻia kēia alanui, no laila ʻaʻole maopopo ka ʻoi aku ka nui o ke alahele a me nā huinahā ma mua o ka asphalt kumu.
ʻO kēia ka ʻāina paʻa ʻole ʻo Avalon, ʻo ka lāʻau wale nō ma luna o kou mau poʻohiwi, paʻa ʻia e ka makani, peʻe ma ke awāwa.
Hoʻomoe ʻia nā loko a me nā lāʻau paʻa ʻole e like me nā quilts nui, e hoʻonui ana i ka ʻaoʻao ma nā ʻaoʻao ʻelua, ka lā a me ka wela, ua maloʻo ka lepo, a ua kahe ka ʻala o nā lāʻau a me nā bogs peat.
Ua hoʻokū au i kaʻu kaʻa ma kahi ʻāpana liʻiliʻi o ka lepo a me ka ʻiliʻili, kahi aʻu i ʻike ai i kahi loko iʻa nui me ka piʻi koke ʻana o ka pōhaku pali ma kekahi ʻaoʻao. Loaʻa pinepine kēia wahi i ka wai hohonu a me nā kula iʻa. Ma kahi o hoʻokahi kilomita ka mamao mai ke alanui, akā ʻo ka mamao ma ʻaneʻi he mea hoʻowalewale: ʻaʻohe mea i kou mau maka e hopu ai a hoʻonohonoho i kahi unahi akaka, ʻo nā undulations palupalu wale nō ma ka ʻāina a me ka huluhulu i hana ʻia e nā mea kanu makani.
A laila, hele au i lalo o ke ala kaʻa kaʻa ma waena o nā mea kanu ʻaneʻane palupalu. ʻO ka poʻe ʻai lā wale nō ke nānā aku i pulu no ke ola ʻana, ua hoihoi ko lākou mau lau ʻano hōkū i nā kulu lāʻau uʻi. He ʻoʻoleʻa a palupalu nā meakanu o ka ipu hao, me he mea lā e hiki koke mai ana ka ua. Ma ka ʻaoʻao o kahi alanui liʻiliʻi, ʻaʻole i hiki mai i mua oʻu kekahi pūʻulu manu liʻiliʻi, e ʻimi ana a me ka hauʻoli, no kekahi kumu, e holo mau ana ma ke ala like me aʻu. ʻAʻole e lele kaʻu pāʻina hoʻomaʻamaʻa a kū pololei mai ka pā pōhaku i mua oʻu.
Lawe au i ke aho, hāpai a hoʻopaʻa i kahi iʻa liʻiliʻi, a laila noho au ma ka ʻaoʻao o ka pōhaku, wehe i koʻu kāmaʻa a me nā pūkini, hilinaʻi i ka pōhaku, a hehi i ka wai ʻeleʻele mahana. Hiki iaʻu ke lohe i ka leo nui o ka Osprey, akā ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke ʻike i kona kani i ka lewa. He makani ma ka wai, a manaʻo wau e ʻauʻau. I mua o koʻu mau maka, holo nā kaʻa a me nā kaʻa ma ke alanui. ʻO ka ʻiliʻili i hoʻokiʻekiʻe ʻia a me nā alahele e hoʻolilo i ke alanui i palena ma waena o ka lani a me ka honua, no laila ke holo nei nā kaʻa i kekahi ʻano.
Hoʻomoe ʻia nā loko a me nā lāʻau paʻa ʻole e like me nā quilts nui, e hoʻonui ana i ka ʻaoʻao ma nā ʻaoʻao ʻelua, ka lā a me ka wela, ua maloʻo ka lepo, a ua kahe ka ʻala o nā lāʻau a me nā bogs peat.
No laila, ke komo ʻana i ke kaʻa ma kahakai, e kahe ana i loko o kahi wai pāpaʻu a ākea a me ka muliwai pōhaku liʻiliʻi, holoi ʻia e ka wai no ka manawa lōʻihi, i like ke ʻano o ka waxy a me ka poepoe a pau. ʻAʻole nui nā iʻa, a ma kahi e noho ai, paʻa lākou i nā lua hohonu, ma lalo o nā kapa i ʻoki ʻia, piʻo ka wai o ka muliwai a ʻoki i ka lepo ma lalo o nā kumulāʻau, a ʻo ke kahe wikiwiki ʻana o ka wai ma nā kihi e hoʻokuʻu i nā pōhaku ma lalo o ke kahawai Push a puka. nā pā a me nā pā. Hele aku la ka oolea a nahuia e ka nalo e na maka anuenue, aka, pela no na lele lele, lele aku la lakou i na nahu e puni ana ma mua o ka nahu ikaika ana.
Ma ka ʻaoʻao, ʻike ʻia ka leo o ka wai kahe e ʻai ana i nā leo ʻē aʻe, no laila aia wale nō ka leo holoi ʻoluʻolu o ka wai e kaʻa ana ma luna ona. Wela loa ka lā, a ʻoi aku ka wela o nā pōhaku o ka muliwai ma koʻu kua. ʻAʻohe hoʻomaha no ka lā.
Russell Wangersky’s column appeared in the SaltWire newspaper and website on the Canadian Atlantic coast. You can contact him at russell.wangersky@thetelegram.com-Twitter: @wangersky.