Encounters With Eagles
*If you want to read along with music, here's the song pairing: Some Sunsick Day by Morgan Delt*
Wander is a good word for today. My it’s been too long straying from the forest and hiking trails, the last time I went out was the beginning of November. I don’t know what it is about this place, but every time I go magic happens. Wide open spaces without any other people befell us, the dogs went running and a feeling of freedom expanded out into the flattened fields.
A tree found us with a red bandana in its shadow so we picked it up and claimed it for our wardrobe. As I’m smelling the fragrant seeds of echinacea and coneflower, I heard a peep behind me and there was Austin halfway up a tree. Sparky decided to join us and climbed in, Oliver jealous on the ground wishing he could climb up too. I tied the bandana around my arm so we didn’t lose it; melting winter had it sopping wet.
In the distance I heard an eagle call out. “Austin, let’s go over by it,” I pointed to the tree it was resting in. He smiled and we sauntered across the field over to it. The closer we got, the more surprised we were that it was letting us get so close. The next 20 minutes were spent with the eagle, right next to its dead tree perch, just exchanging glances with each other. After awhile it flew away, the two of us searching the ground for treasures and discovering shards of druzy quartz sticking out of the soil, moss covered.
A lookout point ahead on the trail changed our attention so we headed off in the sunshine. Sparky tested our nerves as he peered his head over a cliff with a steep drop, a bunch of daredevils soaking in the sun between ancient juniper trees.
On the way back to the truck, another eagle joined our original friend circling us in the air. Once they landed on the tree perch, we walked on over again and they let us get as close as last time. Our encounter was short, because a third eagle joined their circling group and we decided to move the dogs on out of there before one of them became lunch 😅
Sending lots of love,
Ash
