In fact, I leaned on my poles so much today that a strange muscle I've never felt before started aching in my upper arm. What is that called, anyway? ...the muscle on the outside between bicep and tricep? All I know is, it's sore!
Anyway, the trail itself was not the highlight of the day. The scenery, however, was spectacular. In some ways it reminded me of Washington or BC... Steep slopes beside us with limited understory; lots of ferns and moss, and lichens hanging from the trees in long wisps that sway in the wind.
The main difference is that here the trees are not Douglas firs-
they are all manner and size of Rhododendron. Our local guide said
yesterday that there are over 100 distinct species of Rhody in Bhutan!
In tree form, these Rhodies are tall and ornate, almost like giant
Bonsai trees. The springtime in this place must be absolutely amazing,
when they are in bloom at every level of the forest. It would be worth a
trip back to see that for sure.
The other part of our wondrous scenery today was the river. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the same river we could see from our hotel, which is now at least 50 miles downstream behind us.
This magical river is blue-green in color, like most glacial rivers, with reddish rocks in the riverbed that make one of the most striking color-contrasts I have seen. Many of these rocks have been scoured smooth, and some have been dug out in gracious curves by generations of rushing water and smaller stones.
Looking back, it's amazing that I didn't hurt myself today. I was so enthralled by the views that I looked around at every opportunity- often sacrificing good foot placement to do so. It was worth it though; many other people said they were so focused on the trail that they didn't look around much. And by doing that, I think they missed much of what just might be one of the prettiest forests on this earth.
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