A soft, autumn light played on the marshlands. The tawny grass areas were broken up by opalescent pools and streams. The Shoreline waterways were host to a myriad of birdlife. Ducks, like pieces from a child’s toy zoo, were dotted across the ponds. Pelicans glided in small flocks, white and majestic. Seagulls scooped fish out of the water as they swam across the pools. A hawk hung in the air as if suspended by a string.
It was a relatively small group of hikers – six in total. Kristen, in big sunhat, and camera-shy, became the designated group photographer. Aimi, an analyst for a real estate company, was a first-time hiking yogi. Chitra, a regular hiking yogi, went sans walking cane, the very flat terrain hardly warranted that extra edge or comfort that a stick can bring to a hiker. Paul, no stranger to Shoreline, brought binoculars, and enjoyed a bit of birdwatching along the way and identified the swallows’ nests we spotted sticking out from under the eaves of a building we passed. I came equipped with camera. Laurel led the group. As usual the walk became the opportunity to mingle with likeminded individuals who practiced yoga and enjoyed the outdoors.
The walk was flat and easy, but without any shade. On a hot summer’s afternoon the sun beating down walkers would be unrelenting. We reached our destination and returned within three hours. We saw more wildlife than usual. As we were headed home on the return trip we spied a three foot long King snake leisurely making its way across the trail. Laurel, our fearless hike leader, posed near it for a few photos to give an idea of scale. Knowing that the snake was a “strangler” as opposed to a “biter”, Laurel expressed no qualms about picking up the rust-colored reptile, but refrained from doing so, after observing from the snake’s swollen belly that it had just eaten. Reasoned Laurel, “would you like to be picked up after you’d just eaten?” So the snake went on its way untouched.
After our interaction with one of the reptile inhabitants of Shoreline we headed on home. The pelicans, in flocks of five to six elegant white forms, followed us back, or, so it seemed. Black silhouettes of ducks and other water fowl haunted the streams on either side of the pathway. This yoga hike promised to be one of the more fauna-enhanced of the yoga hikes we have been on so far. Stay tuned for the next yoga hike: A trip to see the breeding grounds of the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo.
by Eleanor Pearson
