Abbotts Lagoon Trail

Abbotts Lagoon Trail
4.5 miles
3 hours
Start: Kehoe Beach
End: Abbotts Lagoon parking lot
Includes: Pierce Point Road, Historic I Ranch, Abbotts Lagoon Trail, Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes Beach

Hike 4
January 12, 2013
Four-of-Swords
Meditation

The numbers one-through-ten can be used to describe any creative process. The number four is a stable number, being even. It is the time in any project to recollect after the birth.

So, the four-of-swords signaled a time to meditate on my thoughts about the Fool's Journey so far. Once the original creation is made, it is good to withdraw and reflect before exploding into the next growth phase.

A theme which arose through these last four walks is solitude. I envisioned doing this with friends and family, but for each walk, I ended-up alone. This is the nature of the swords.

The swords, specifically, have to do with the relationship I have with myself. In order to be in conversation with myself, I need to be alone. I am different when I am alone. The other suits are about being in relationship with the outer world. I will have plenty of time to explore those relationships later in the year.

As I walked south down the road away from Kehoe beach, I encountered a familiar piece of trash: a large rectangle of plastic lying on the side of the road. I first saw it on Winter Solstice. It was partially submerged at the road wash-out. I watched it for thirty-minutes gauging the water depth.

On this walk, I stopped to photograph it, but left it behind; it was too large to carry. I thought I might get it on the way back.

I continued down Pierce Point road and fully appreciated the source of the earlier wash-out. It is downright swampy all through that area. It's like a whole different neighborhood: different plants, animals, ways and means. Even the omnipresent cows have their pastures away from the road, safely up and out of the mud.

Humans and nature intersect in an interesting tangle: old tires, nearly submerged barbed-wire fences, blackberry, yarrow, plantain and coyote bush. There are also a number of wet-footed plants I know nothing about, me being brand-new to this swampy enclave.

Further down the road it starts to dry-out and the cows pasture next to the road. If anyone is holding a "Ranch with the Friendliest Cows" contest, I vote Historic I Ranch. At one point I attracted a whole crowd of the curious ladies, each pushing in on the others to get a better look at what was going on.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail

After two miles of hiking, I got to Abbotts Lagoon Trail. I noticed the contents of my thoughts changed dramatically upon anticipation of meeting Desmond and Melinda at the beach. They had hiked from the trailhead while I was walking from Kehoe.

I imagined us on the open beach, Desmond contentedly playing in the sand. I thought we might stroll and leisurely pick-up trash. I thought we might sit and share the snacks of cheese, chips and oranges we packed earlier.

I spotted them from far away; Melinda looked like a meerkat watching over her pup which was sprawled-out in the sand. A beautiful scene until my little meerkat started to scoot over the precipice toward the water.

He shouted at me across the water. "Mom, look!" I didn't want my first words to be 'Don't do that,' so I shouted "That looks pretty dangerous." It did. D does not yet swim well and he was fully dressed. "I've already done it." He yelled, sounding like he was trying to be patient with me.

Melinda yelled "He's been bringing wet mud back up the side of the hill." Feeling swirly, I said "Please, don't do it D!" All I could see was him tumbling down and splashing into the water. If he fell, I was too far away to get to him. I heard dread in my voice and he must have, too; I saw him climb up the hill.

When the three of us joined near the bridge, a flurry of explanations erupted on all sides. It sucks to be a mom and ruin good fun, but I am chemically wired to keep him safe. I was not questioning Melinda's judgment; I was simply stopping the hormone-induced swirling in my head.

On top of that, I was committed to making it to the open beach for the sake of the project. We were only at the bridge where the trail ends. After our rocky transition, I made a brief attempt to assemble the ranks, but, in the interest of time, took-off alone to quickly finish the last bit.

When I got back to Melinda and Desmond, I felt satisfied having completed my goal. We settled for a few moments and played out my simple fantasy: D. played happily in the warm sand, Melinda sat nearby, I rested my tired legs and we shared what was left of the snacks.

We still had about a mile to hike back and I knew D. was tired. Melinda sat on the ground at the trailhead and put-on her shoes. We watched an egret hunt in the lagoon.

These were our last moments of quiet before a mile-long series of wails erupted from my tired meerkat, who declared he never wanted to do this hike again.

Melinda wisely set-off on her own during The Cold Feet Emergency of 2013. Crisis narrowly averted, we caught-up with her near the parking lot.

She drove us to my car at Kehoe and D. fell asleep in his car seat about four-minutes later. Just like old times; I used to drive him to sleep on this road all the time when he was a baby.

Hiking with a goal in mind does not capture the spirit of the four-of-swords. This is a card of inactivity, introspection and recollection. Being out in the world offers too much stimuli and requires too much energy to do the required repairs indicated by the four-of-swords. This card indicates an activity of inactivity in order to prepare for the next phase of growth.

Oh Bleeping Snodgrass! I forgot to pick-up that big piece of trash. If you are out at Kehoe Beach and see it by the side of the road, perhaps you'll make room for it.