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West Clear Creek Wilderness: A soft place to fall

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The view of West Clear Creek Wilderness looking upstream.

I lean back against a log and listen to oaks and willows tell stories to the land. The creek shares secrets in a language I want to understand. I count flower petals and last fall’s leaves that bounce on the breeze as I dip my hand into the cold water, at ease, and my worries burn away like the morning fog.

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The view of the wilderness from the rim heading down the Maxwell Trail.

I sit facing the sun, and like the lizard eyeing me, I soak up the warmth. The creek babbles on about spring’s arrival, and hummingbirds skim the pools in search of new bloom. The wet moss and earth smell just like a field of deer grass after a rain, and after I’ve sat still long enough, it’s easy to spot fish rising to snack on the bugs floating just above the water’s surface.

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The tranquility of the creek moving over mossy rocks and among the willows.

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The Maxwell trailhead sign and sign-in station at the top of the canyon.



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