Bayview Trail

Bayview Trail
6.3 miles
3 hours
Start: Muddy Hollow Trailhead
End: Muddy Hollow Trailhead
Includes: Bayview Trail, Inverness Ridge Trail, Drakes View Trail

Hike 26
June 7, 2013
Knight of Cups
Passion

The knight of cups signifies the passion and enthusiasm of youth. The knight is full-grown, but not old enough to be experienced. He knows he wants something and sets-out to pursue it. The knight of cups is motivated by his strong emotions.

Piro and I started at the Muddy Hollow Trailhead. We hiked up the Bayview Trail to the Inverness Ridge Trail.

We sampled native blackberries which were just beginning to ripen. They ripen earlier than the non-native variety, are smaller and sweeter.

We  swooned at the Buckeye's  flowering racemes,  jutting like virile phalli into our path.

The path opened into a small, grassy valley. We crossed a bridge and headed uphill.   

Red Indian paintbrush, yellow daisies and the deep purple of Self-heal lined the trail.

The trail became steep, offering beautiful views of Bishop pine forests spreading into the distance.

The Inverness Ridge Trail was more of a road than a trail. We took it over to Drakes View Trail and headed down through the forest.

I nearly stepped on a handsome little garter snake sunning himself on the path.

We passed back over the bridge through dappled sunlight, to return to the Muddy Hollow Trailhead.

Being motivated by passion and strong emotion become problematic when we are unaware of our objective. Determining our objective is done in the stage of the page of cups. Exercising the energy of the knight uninformed by the page is like going off all half-cocked and crazy. You're likely to gain experience as a result of your actions, but not necessarily fulfill your objective.

The queen and king come after the knight. They are the culmination of inquiry fused with passion toward a specific objective. This is the skill of a master creator.

Trash is a symptom of our relationship with nature. An item becomes trash when it is no longer useful to us. It is toxic when it cannot be reabsorbed into the system without detriment to our health and the health of nature.

The uninformed knight has led us into much of our current trouble. When we take time as the page to determine our values and infuse our actions toward a specified goal with the knight's passion, we put it to good use. A year-long hike is a page's journey. It allows for contemplation and for awareness to develop.