Woodward Valley Trail

Woodward Valley Trail
6.9 miles
3.5 hours
Start: Glen Camp
End: Coast Camp
Includes: Glen Camp, Glen Camp Loop Trail, Glen Trail, Baldy Trail, Sky Trail, Woodward Valley Trail, Coast Trail, Coast Camp

Hike 48
November 18, 2013
Nine of Pentacles Sustainability

On my second day out, I headed from Glen Camp to Coast Camp. Glen Camp Loop trail was green and ferny.

It led me to Glen Trail where I noticed clouds collecting.

I crossed Bear Valley Trail near the bike racks and headed up Baldy Trail.

Blooming thistle offered a note of pinkish-purple amid the symphony of greens and browns of the late fall forest.

Sky Trail gently undulated through Douglas fir against a backdrop of overcast skies and gray, filtered light.

There was a fir family with a large number of baby Christmas trees living near the junction with Woodward Valley Trail. I think I would like to celebrate the holiday here amid the chirping and rustling of life all around.

Woodward Valley Trail was a billow of green, delicate grass filling the gaps and inviting a hundred-year slumber. Life's secrets surely reside in this magical place.

Like bleached bones, burnt trees lined the coastal side of the ridge, evidence of a recent fire.

Skies were getting grayer. The forecast, however, had not called for rain.

Moving along the exposed coastal scrub, Drake's Bay stretched dramatically into the distance.

Coast Trail took me on a bridge over a stream and onward to Coast Camp.

The giant eucalyptus stood sentry over the camp.

I found my campsite after some looking, set-up my tent, ate some freeze-dried chicken gumbo, cleaned up and snuggled into my Shangri-la.

Once again, there was no one else in the camp. A light rain began to fall as I drifted to sleep.

The Nine of Pentacles shows a woman in a garden wearing a beautiful dress. She is surrounded by ripe grapes on the vine. A falcon is perched on her hand and a snail crawls in the foreground. This is an image of sustainability.

It refers to the fruits of slow, sustained labors. When we work with nature within her rhythms and exercise patience and restraint, we get maximum, sustainable return for our invested energies. Notice the pentacles are close to the earth. This refers to riches well-grounded in the earth. We can have everything we need by allowing nature's wisdom to inform and guide our efforts.