The Seasoned Hikers

Confident as well-seasoned hikers
long familiar with the dense forests
crowding the valleys and slopes
of the surrounding mountains on a
grey-shrouded overcast fall day
the gloom of early dusk hanging
through the corridors of tangled trees
a split in the trail beckons left or right.
She opted for left, he consulted his
trail guide and directed them right.
Wrong. The trail was a false one
well booby-trapped by nature's
design leaning heavily on bracken
and a dried understory along with a
generosity of rocks and boulders
owning the forest floor, impeding
progress until the realization of an
absent trail struck, leading to a
back-track and frenzied search for
recalled elements; a fallen tree, a
stony creek, dried fern colony and
then confusion and fatigue. Their
dogs no wiser than they on this forest
trail that was not a trail, leading to
dark thoughts of deep woods isolation
lost bearings, impending nightfall and
quite total misery. Forgotten and
forgiven when their sturdy sense
returned along with recognition and
the security and sure-footedness of
the proper trail awaiting recognition.