Mike Hill

Long Branch

I got up early and let out the chickens and Daisy. The spring air felt warm. I decided to go for it, forecast be damned. I grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and loaded my daypack and Daisy into the pickup. Raindrops pelted the windshield not two minutes from the house. Closer to the trailhead the sun peeked through, and fog began to lift off the Davidson River.

            passing an old man
            on the gravel road—
            one finger lift

The Long Branch trail is not the most popular of hikes—the trail is closed in by rhododendron and mountain laurel, with no views or waterfalls to attract the masses. I walked along a low ridge, the Long Branch stream to my left.

            cascading
            the little stream larger
            than it is

After a few hours on the trail we intersected the forest service road. I considered another loop from there, but turned back and headed down the gravel road towards the truck. I was satisfied, as was Daisy.

            forest of
            three hundred million
            just me and my dog