For my birthday, we went for a short hike at Villa Montavlo. I first discovered this short hike when it was part of the Santa Clara County #pixinparks challenge. The hike from the parking lot to the lookout and back is 1.6 miles. As far as hikes go, it is short. It is all uphill until the lookout, then all downhill back to the parking lot. This has been a great place to get back into hiking after my recent back surgery. And so, for my birthday we chose to hike up to the lookout at Villa Montavlo.
It may be difficult to tell from the photos, but the short hike goes through several different ecosystems, including a grove of redwood trees. This diversity is part of why I enjoy this short hike so much.
Along the way, we came across some signs that reminded me of magnetic poetry.
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-kcrVcnp/0/97c68ccb/M/IMG_0741_heic-M.jpg)
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-F6VB962/0/fc25c704/M/IMG_0743_heic-M.jpg)
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-nM6XF6v/0/59d290df/M/IMG_0744_heic-M.jpg)
I certainly felt awake and alive at this point. This was the sign we saw at the top of the hill.
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-jxgk2S9/0/52ab6ca5/L/IMG_7966_heic-L.jpg)
Then we began our descent, taking a different route which split off just before the “here you leave your worries” sign.
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-BfmNNRk/0/7d7ce61e/M/IMG_0747_heic-M.jpg)
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-sFsDjr2/0/0b635526/M/IMG_0748_heic-M.jpg)
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-LskHksq/0/21b439bf/M/IMG_0750_heic-M.jpg)
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/Hiking/i-mjBPKwm/0/e0202f77/M/IMG_0754_heic-M.jpg)
I was thinking that it would be fun to write a poem about the signs – which are a poem themselves. The order we saw them in first:
Here you leave your worries
This beautiful moment
You are here, awake and alive
Your mind quiets
You look up
Then there is color
It begins with feeling
Of course that is not the order the author intended that you read the signs. Had we gone up the way we went down, the signs would have read:
It begins with feeling
Then there is color
You look up
Your mind quiets
Here you leave your worries
This beautiful moment
You are here, awake and alive
A Healing Walk by Susan O’Malley
I could not think of a better way to spend my birthday afternoon.