@deilannit hasn't rained since march
a storm is rolling through and the the aching scent of rain is overwhelming. the air is heavy with petrichor.
but it hasn't rained since march. that fact stands unchanged.
the air is so thick with humidity and dust i can barely fight the wind as thunder echoes all around me.
but it hasn't rained since march.
@deilannfor a moment, the valley stands still.
the east is shouded in darkness, clinging to mesa and mountain.
the north is just as dark.
as quickly as it died the wind comes back to life, thunder rouses my senses. and a single droplet hits my face.
@deilanni suddenly realize
i need to bring the supplies in
@deilannas i drag in what could be lost in the violent wind i count the drops.
even in all this, it's not difficult to keep track.
@deilannthe sun returns.
i note my tally: 4 drops
it last rained in june.
@deilannthe birds are telling each other the rain is over. i wonder how they make sense of all this. how it affects their planning. but i push the thought away because i have things to do.
but it comes back as the bird calls become more insistent.
the wind picks up again for a brief moment and dust washes over me.
i feel fragile.
@deilannthe petrichor is gone. the mountains have returned. the air is still heavy, but with less mud and more dust.
i can feel the heat again.
@deilanni've scaled portions of the valley no longer in shadow using trails that have been passable for centuries even before given official name status and preservation efforts.
i sit with the knowledge that i will never know if some of them today were washed away. if they will be considered lost or considered worth salvaging.
trails come and go, as there's often little reason to visit the same place twice.
I wouldn't worry about them.
@deilann@tech.lgbtthe no reason to visit twice is why i'll never know
it saddens me though that others might lose access
Perhaps... But take heart! For new trails will ever emerge, placed below the feet of those who will mark them.
"Leave no trace" unless you're a trailblazer.
And by that I mean unless you're a forest ranger, for they are the stewards of the land.
@deilannif it weren't that the potential loss was so heavily due to climate change, that would be my typical perspective