Now, a "dell" is referred to as "a small, usually wooded valley; vale" by Dictionary.com, and I suppose that there are several small wooded valleys tucked into the crevices of the wild rock formations. Yet, it was the rock formations that captured my attention.
Looking at the map from Google Earth, the skin of the earth shows very much the skin of a very old man in high relief. While hiking through the dells, that lined skin becomes a labyrinth to lose oneself in. The hiking trail was marked with white dots on the slick rock, as without them the trail would only occasionally be found.
It was was beautiful sunny day, which is a description that I'm sure will get overused for awhile here with us. It is still an odd joy to see the sun in such regular fashion after spending several years in Seattle. With the sun shining on us, it was warm enough to easily bring a sweat, yet there were still patches of ice and frost in the shady portions of the trail. A joyful dichotomy, indeed.
