Bushwhacking a Trail for Those Who Come After

     I dodged trucks on the asphalt road leading to the trail along the creek nearby. Uninspiring! So I decided to bushwhack a new path through an unexplored open space next to the road. With hiking boots and a cudgel I set out to carve a new course. What would I find?
     After slashing through a thicket of thistles, I entered a grove. Surprise - three deer stared at me, then pranced off. High above, a bird serenaded me. Crickets added a rhythmic chorus. Delightful!     I crawled over skeletons of fallen trees, then I faced two ravines thick with bushes. It took a few tries, but I whacked through them.
     I traversed a prairie, stepped over a drainage ditch, and waded through tall grasses, picking up cockleburs. Then I wended through a patch of milkweed and finally reached the familiar dirt path by the creek.This was so much more inspiring than the asphalt road.
     When I led grandsons along my new Bushwhack Trail, they were like mountain goats scaling the fallen trees and scampering through the steep ravines. I realized I’m simply the pioneer here, opening a way for those who come after me. They’ll go farther and faster.
​     Others have opened up opportunities for me in the past. Now it’s my turn. How about you? What trails can you blaze for others?