Mount, Douglas.

Victoria, BC – Brighter than some of the faded leaves folded onto the ground, orange pumpkins lined Mount Douglas Parkway, their carved faces drooping more grotesquely at various stages of decay.

As we rose away from the road and into the forest, though, silence descended upon Mt. Douglas this morning.

We were surrounded by green lichen – a frilly dressing that enrobed the spires of looming fir. The forest floor was covered by dew-covered ferns, exposed root systems as designed by a Spirograph and pine needles that sutured the mud. Microscopic mushrooms, like seashells, clung to mossy bark. Beading holly welcomed the festive season, a little early.

All the while, our footfalls popped damp pinecones as if they had been tossed into a fire.

But we summited on the first sunny day I have had here, opening a spectacular panorama of the city.