ch. 9, v.1-22 (beartown state forest)

Our humans say "Here we shall pitch our tent
Where round about us gathers only this population of trees,
Taciturn and shadeful, their summer coats now heavy for the incipient equinox.
We shall rest in their quiet company
And hear in our ears neither the wailings nor the bass beats of chariots that pass upon the road."

Yea, thus deem our companions, but an invasion plagues this verdant wood--
A rampant brotherhood of chips o'erruns its peacefulness and calm.

Their squeakings are as like a multitude of tiny but sharp arrows
Delivered o'er the full journey of the sun across the sky
And shot from every branch of every tree and, yea, every crevice of every hillock upon the ground.
They taunt and tease dogkind, shaking at us their striped habits
And drawing us off the way of the path into the tangle of vines and thorns.





Again and again I give chase to drive them from us but their host is too vast
And my haunches grow weary from the pursuit.
Yea, tho' I be a varmit-hound of great prowess,
Tho' generations of rodents have trembled upon tree limbs at my thunderous alarum,
We cannot prevail, my companions, here in this western land.
Their numbers are too numerous and their retreats too swift;
They laugh a squittering laugh at our fruitless charges.



So thus we fold again our tent and pack again our provisions
And take refuge in this anonymous den, strangely sterile of scent
But like a fortress in its quiet and removal from the chipmunks legion.



Exegesis and commentary
Our fall camping trip took us to the campground at Beartown State Forest, where we saw no bears but more chipmunks than I've ever seen in one place before. The campground was lovely, and virtually empty, with Benedict Pond next to it for Frida's frequent dips.


We had a few beautiful fall days for camping and hiking, but as a major rainstorm approached for the last few days of our stay, we took a room in a motel just outside of downtown Great Barrington. It was Frida's first stay in any sort of "travel lodge" and she did surprisingly well. I thought she would be inclined to bark at the comings and goings of our neighbors, but she kept perfectly quiet.

Our hikes consisted of the trails around Benedict Pond, which included an intersection with part of the Appalachian Trail; a short walk to Bash Bish Falls on the New York border, which was disappointing after all the hype, and of course Frida was disappointed that she couldn't go in the water; and a beautiful hike up Monument Mountain.


Doesn't she look sad?




It was a relatively short hike--which was good, since the rainstorm was imminent--but a very satisfying trail with great views.