Walking with Spring

In the low elevations of North Carolina, spring is in full leaf. As we've walked north from Georgia we've watched the understory transform. It started with a smattering of wildflowers, building into a symphony of colors and textures.

In one day, in one sweeping glance, trillium nods in white, pink, yellow, and scarlet. Explosions of trout lily fill damp places. Squawroot peeps out of leaf litter. Columbine peers between rocks.

Spring climbs upward. In low gaps, the trees are covered in fresh cloaks of green leaves. Like flames, they spread towards the mountaintops.

Views become obscured, the trail turning into a tunnel through greenery.

Earl Shaffer, the first thru hiker, titled his book "Walking with Spring." It's obvious at a hiker's pace, this gift attained on a northbound hike.

The miracle of the season, of new life, unfolds all around us, brightening our days.