As I have previously written, I am an optimist.
When it comes to the U.S. and world affairs, I assume that, at some point, almost everyone will come to their senses. The USA will not become an autocracy; global warming will be conquered and the Earth will not become uninhabitable by humans; the economy will not be judged by how well Wall Street is doing; teaching about this nation’s history and truthful books about it will make some uncomfortable, but those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it; along with many other things that are the covered by the news media on a daily basis.
Among many others, I am a news junkie. I subscribe to The New York Times and this newspaper; I watch the evening news on various broadcast and cable channels. PBS’s “Newshour” is watched almost religiously.
In spite of the reporting of various horrific events and the rantings of various left- and right-wing zealots, I remain convinced that all will eventually be well.
Occasionally, however, I need to step away from all the regional, national and world news and take a long walk. Fortunately, in Columbia, there are lots of trails, ranging from the well-traveled MKT to the lesser-known, and less-used, trail that leads up to Interstate 70. Most of the trails lead through nature areas with lots of trees and wildlife.
But, given the pandemic and the cold weather, I have not ventured out of the house very much. This week, however, when the temps were a bit above freezing, I decided to walk away from the news and walk to areas that are serene and quiet.
First, I walked on the MKT Trail. It was indeed quiet and serene. Tracks of deer, squirrels, rabbits and other critters, which I could not identify, were prevalent along and across the trail, but the snow had not melted completely and the trail was a bit mushy. On the other hand, there were not many people.
After deciding that the snow, mush and ice on the MKT were a bit too much for me. I ventured down to Cosmo-Bethel Park on the south side of town.
The trail there was mostly free of any kind of frozen precipitation, apparently because the Parks and Recreation Department had removed the snow from the concrete trail. While it was easy walking, wildlife was pretty much absent. A few squirrels and a few little brown birds represented what little wildlife there was.
What the trail lacked in wildlife, it made up for it in humans. The trail goes around Cosmo-Bethel Lake, and thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation and stocking, it is a winter trout haven.
Hence, the plethora of anglers.
For those not aware of such things, the lake is stocked about the first of November each year with 2,400 trout and until Feb. 1 is “catch and release” for anglers. Beginning Feb. 1, “catch and keep” is the rule and there were, by my count, 17 people casting for the wily aquatic creatures.
I talked to a fellow who was close to reaching his limit — four per day. My goal was to walk 2 miles, and by the time I was on the fourth loop (the trail is ½ mile), the fellow was packing up as he had four trout on his stringer.
To make fishing more difficult, the lake was partially covered with ice and there were only a few patches of open water. Occasionally, flocks of ducks and geese flew overhead but none landed, thanks to all the ice and the herds of anglers where ice was absent.
Perhaps in a few weeks, the ice will be gone and it will be time for me to dust off my fly rod.
Until then, I will continue walking and thinking about the days to come, and will forget about Vladimir Putin, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mitch McConnell for a while. However, when I return to the daily newspapers and the TV news, it will be as if I had never left.
As the French have it, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” That applies to trails as well as to regional, state and international affairs.
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