Bridges and Walls

On our ride up to our hike, 3 police cruisers rushed the left lane and blocked traffic. As we waited in frustration, we wondered whether it was an accident. 10 minutes later the entire southbound lane of the west side highway was overtaken by thousands of Black lives matter protesters. 5 days ago a Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, clamped his knee down on handcuffed George Floyd’s neck snuffing out his life while Floyd pleaded his last words, “I can’t breathe... you’re killing me...and mama.” Marchers crossed over the median to the northbound lane and streamed around our line of stalled cars.

Outrage over police brutality has spawned race riots across the country. Notions of social distancing for corona were thrown out the window. Ironically for ‘black lives matter’ protests, within a month we will see the next wave of corona virus deaths hit America spawned by these mass protest gatherings. These protestors were so mad, they were willing to risk spreading viral deaths and infections to vent their rage. Many more black lives will be lost.

Once the traffic cleared we headed to Stamford. Our latest hiking obsession. A suburb I had known only through passing views of garish office buildings whenever I rode commuter trains en route to new haven. Drive 15 minutes north of downtown, there are 3 preserves that were once farmland in 1890s now designated for hiking and recreation. Mianus (pronounced “my anus”), zofnass family preserve, and ward pound ridge reservation.

Yesterday we visited ward pound ridge reservation. upon arrival, the sounds of honking and racial protestors were supplanted by oblivious bullfrogs and crickets. We’ve gotten into a sort of corona hiking routine. Arrive late in the late afternoon, get lost on winding trails, drive frantically to Tabouli grill for chicken shwarma sandwiches a few minutes before they close, and return to nyc. Our exploration of the trails has been matched by the exploration of Tabouli’s menu. At first it was stream walks, then it was beech and poplar forest hikes, and yesterday it culminated in pond wading and J, getting completely wet. The first time we ordered food it was standard schwarma and falafel, then we explored tabouli and Israeli salads, and yesterday mujadarra instead of pilaf and Moroccan salad and a series of smoothies.

All the hikes we’ve done in Stamford share one curious characteristic - meandering waist high stone walls. Miles and miles of serpentine walls slither through the landscape. back in 1890’s they marked extents of property. One can imagine the cows and sheep bound by these walls. Then the farms were abandoned, probably because farmers could not compete with the agricultural efficiencies in the flat plains of the Midwest. Today, towering tulip poplars, beech and maple conspire to coverup the history of place. 24,000 years ago, the Wisconsin Ice Sheet glacier covered half of north America. Like a slow moving river, the glacier which was 1000 feet deep at one point, picked up till – an array of sediments, rocks, sand and clay, as it advanced. At their farthest point of expansion glaciers left the most till. 16,000 years ago, the glacier retreated leaving the protective moraine of long island, and sheltered harbors of Connecticut coast line and rocks that are so abundant that farmers nicknamed them “New England Potatoes.” The farmers used these rocks to construct the walls we see today. Current day hikes cut through the walls providing a slice through time – modern day recreation hiking trails reveal the bygone farm borders and agricultural endeavors from 200 years ago, and retreating glacier action from 16,000 years ago.

                                        

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