Meghan's Blog

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April 6, 2007

Anotha' Day

Today has been much brighter than yesterday. It's amazing what a little time and sleep will do for one's psyche. I'm half-tempted to pull my last blog entry off this place because, sheesh, it's just so-danged depressing. Part of me feels guilty that I unintentionally imposed upon my unsuspecting blog audience that came here for their daily dose of Yellowstone adventuring, or something equally uplifting, at the very least. Then again, I'll probably leave it there because it's raw, real, and representative of exactly what I was feeling. And, who knows, perhaps someone who identifies with my sentiments might cruise by and feel comforted in knowing that they aren't alone. Thank you to all of you for your support; I appreciate the outpouring of thoughts.

It was a gorgeously sunny day today, but so very windy. A sharp, cold, piercing, north wind howled down the Yellowstone River Valley this afternoon. I ran directly into the wind, then I turned around and ran with the wind. It took me 27 minutes to run 2.5 miles into the wind on a ridiculously flat and easy trail (where 8 minute miles are typically a cinch) before I gave up trying. At times, I was literally not moving forward, even though my legs were rotating underneath me and my arms were swinging. It was amusing, to say the very least. There is not a thing you can do about this kind of stuff, though, so I just laughed and kept "running."

The marmots have emerged from their winter hibernation. A single yellow-bellied marmot stood stolidly on a rock uphill from the trail today. It made a series of warning chirps as I passed by, never moving its position. These creatures produce incessant chirping noises that will try anyone's patience. In this passing interaction, I was sufficiently entertained.

Last year, a friend relayed to me a story about a marmot which lived in a hole outside of his home. My friend could hear the marmot's boisterous and perpetual chirping each morning, much like that of a rooster, beginning somewhere around the crack of dawn. After frequent attempts at sleeping in were foiled by this marmot, my friend had had enough. In a bout of frustration, he went outside and threw a rock at the marmot, trying to scare it into silence. Instead of frightening the marmot, he accidentally hit it square upside the head. Resultingly, the marmot toppled over, unmoving on the ground. Alarmed, he approached the marmot and watched its body writhe through a series of convulsions. The marmot seemed to be dying, and, though he felt quite guilty, there was nothing he could do. A few hours later, he looked out the window and the marmot had disappeared from its previous location. A few days later, in the early morning hours, a familiar chirping woke him up once again. Apparently, the marmot had survived, and was healthy enough to chirp.

Eh, I could go on and make some ridiculous, quirky allusion associating human strength and persistence with that of the marmot. But I'll stop here to prevent further digression.

Posted by Meghan at April 6, 2007 9:35 PM

Comments

Posted by: corrado giambalvo at April 7, 2007 1:57 AM

Posted by: Audrey at April 9, 2007 5:13 AM

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