AEC - Science

We finished clearing the last

Section of trail by noon,

High on the ridge-side

Two thousand feet above the creek

Reached the pass, went on

Beyond the white pine groves,

Granite shoulders, to a small

Green meadow watered by the snow,

Edged with Aspen—sun

Straight high and blazing

But the air was cool.

Ate a cold fried trout in the

Trembling shadows. I spied

A glitter, and found a flake

Black volcanic glass—obsidian—

By a flower. Hands and knees

Pushing the Bear grass, thousands

Of arrowhead leavings over a

Hundred yards. Not one good

Head, just razor flakes

On a hill snowed all but summer,

A land of fat summer deer,

They came to camp. On their

Own trails. I followed my own

Trail here. Picked up the cold-drill,

Pick, singlejack, and sack

Of dynamite.

Ten thousand years.

Gary Snyder, “Above Pate Valley” from Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems. Copyright © 2003 by Gary Snyder. Reprinted by permission of Shoemaker & Hoard Publishers.

Source: No Nature: New and Selected Poems (1992)

Gary Snyder’s poem “Above Pate Valley” paints a vivid picture of a mountainous landscape. Let’s delve into its essence.

The poem begins with the speaker and others clearing a trail, working their way up a ridge. They reach a pass, ascending to a green meadow watered by snowmelt. The sun blazes, but the air remains cool. Amidst this natural beauty, the speaker enjoys a cold fried trout in the shadows.

As they explore, the speaker discovers a flake of black volcanic glass (obsidian) near a flower. The landscape is rich with history—thousands of arrowhead leavings scattered over the hillside. Yet, there’s no pristine arrowhead; only razor flakes remain.

The poem evokes a sense of timelessness. The land has witnessed ten thousand years of human presence. The speaker follows their own trail, picking up tools like a cold-drill, pick, singlejack, and dynamite—symbols of both labor and destruction.

In this wilderness, where summer snows persist, fat deer roam, and ancient trails intersect, the poem captures the essence of human connection to nature and the passage of time. Snyder’s words invite us to contemplate our place within this vast landscape. 🌿🏔️