I got a map spread on my lap
It reads like the best of books.
I imagine my route as I explore about
Through all the crannies and nooks.
Along the blue line, a clear stream so fine
That it's filled bank to bank with trout.
Surrounded by green is a forest so clean
I may never want to come out.

I finally move on to where forests are gone
Up the valley I tread.
Contours get tight, it appears that I might
Have a difficult time up ahead.
I soon reach the top where I'll probably stop
And enjoy the magnificent view.
There's a peak to the north and I scan back and forth
To take in every detailed hue.

A circle of blue comes into view
In a hidden glacial alley.
I skirt on around a high piece of ground
And drop into the emerald-like valley.
The map shows a place where beauty and grace
Must have worked in the highest of gears.
Nothing's been there, except eagle and bear
For a hundred thousand years.

But I sit in the city feeling the pity
Of this life in the grime and the grease.
But I've got a map spread on my lap
And my mind is completely at peace.
Trekking around that magnificent ground
In reality so far away
Is easier now than to actually plow.
My old bones can no longer stray.

Jack

Wonderful, Jack.

What's also neat, is that I have in my hand right now, as I found your latest here, my own well-worn topo map of the Bob , with my favorite place ..the White river that runs along the Wall. Where Ive camped many times, for days. And climbed the Wall , sat on its ridge and walked the length of it, in trails worn in sheer rock by bighorns . I love topo maps. I see the dimensions of mountains clearly in my mind as I study them. I have been rearranging some things and wanted to store them in a better place.

Love this one, you articulated so well. Thank you.

Absolutely great Jack ! I can't count the miles I have traveled or the places I've "been" while perusing a topo sheet !

Loved the poem Jack. It's been years since I spread out a topo map and envisioned what groundtruthing it would bring. That gave way to google earth which is sure a lot easier on my old joints and muscles than bumping around with a map. Thanks for sharing.