Passing by Algonquin
I of VI from An Adirondack’s Guide
We’ve climbed down from the misty clouds,
the wind is still raging. The rebuke of my
morning weather report is heavier than
the 50-pound pack.
I rub my aching feet, kneed stiff calves, and lean
against a damp boulder. The break is just long
enough for the Jolly Trotters to prance up
Algonquin.
Cascade Mt. for breakfast, Marcy for lunch,
wasn’t enough to feed those hungry hikers.
I have a gut and it growls. I satiate with
peanuts and water while holding down
the bitterness.
How’d I get here? Where are we going?
Whether counted by the tenth hour or
the tenth mountain mile, the day’s
been too long and there’s too many
mounds ahead. Yet on we sing,
“Nobody like us! We are the
boys from Deerfoot Lodge.”
Faithful, bold, fit, and eager.
Or is it,
Nobody likes us, cocky, self-righteous?
Either way, we’ll eat up a mountaintop
and bake hymns for dinner;
Joyful nuggets –
If you’re willin’ ta’dig deep.
Copyright © Kenric P. Nelson, 2021. All Rights Reserved.
II. Twilight in a Pass from An Adirondack Guide
