Already arrived at Galloping Gorge; either this map’s smaller than I thought it was, or I’m terrible at reading maps. Probably the latter. Not exactly a canyon, kind of shallow for that, but real wide. Goes on for a long ways, too. I’m taking a risk and camping out on the bottom; I SHOULD be able to just follow the gorge out. Hopefully. Hooves crossed. And, well, if worst comes to worst, I can come back here and climb out; the walls aren’t too steep.
There’s a river at the bottom. Moving kind of slow. The water’s real cold, but it’s clear. Tastes fine. (Just realized: I’m growing more aware of how water tastes. How WATER tastes. It’s water, it shouldn’t HAVE a taste. But it does. Anyway…) Plants on the shore are surprisingly good, although a bit stringy. There are trees on the slopes of the gorge, but not a whole lot down below. Don’t know why; there’s plenty of other plants, it seems like there should be trees.
After the snowy plains surrounding the Crystal Empire, I feel kind of boxed in. There’s no horizon, just the walls of the gorge. Like I said, they’re not steep, but it still makes a difference. Everything feels a lot smaller and tighter. Can’t see where I’m going; from what I can make out, the gorge is real twisty, and I can’t see very far down it before a curve cuts off my view. Never thought I’d get even a little claustrophobic in a place larger than my house. Still, not TOO bad, and I’ll probably adjust as I keep going. If not, well, I can climb out. (Which side, though?)
Stopped a bit earlier than usual to try to listen to nature more intently, and anypony who thinks the wilderness is quiet is full of it. It’s noisy. Even if you take out all the animals, there’s the wind blowing all the plants around and the river running its course. It’s not loud, but it’s definitely there, and the only way you can’t hear it is if you stuff your hooves in your ears. (I get the feeling I’ve written this before, but eh. It deserves mentioning again.)
Deep down
Down below the land,
The river runs on alone.
It has its own course.
Not that great. Sounds like I’m writing about an underground river. Hmm.
The surface is
I’m below the ground,
But still can see the clear sky.
It feels somewhat strange.
I’m not underground,
But I’m not on the surface.Strange if you think aboUnusual, if you
Quite odd, once you think.