The Abundance of Summer

“Under some of the clearest skies, and beside some of the cleanest water in the world, I can rest my heart in the peace, continuity, and strengh of a residual piece of healthy, dynamic land where life goes on without our interference as it has in its wisdom and power for thousands of years. The connection to this force of continuity and strength rehuvenates me every time I get close to the heart of Yellowstone. This can begin even when looking out the windshield of a car, but I truly connect when I get out on the land and walk. This connection to the dirt, to the sage, to the rocks and rough barked pine trees is real. The connection to the dew-covered grasses soaking my pant legs, to the smooth tangy smell of sulfur springs, to the flutter of a junco’s wings to the repetitious chirps of robins from the aspen groves along Slough Creek at sunrise is real. The connection to the quiet sigh and little splashes of the small morning waves on the Southeast Arm of the Lake, to the full moon rising over the Trident while I sit on a downed log in a marshy meadow full of monkshood, gentian and elephant head flowers along the Thorofare is as real and honest as anything I have ever witnessed.”

-Tom Murphy