a lesson in jurisprudence

olafa routinely walks the gasnil hill trail in her matryoshka suspenders. the trail is listed as difficult by the authorities although according to olafa’s experience and compared to the world’s difficult trails it is quite easy. what can occasionally make it difficult – and in fact impassable without specialized equipment and training – is some presence (in combination or alone) of high winds (gusts of >70 – 80km/hr) or ice (most notably in trail sections that descend rapidly on one side to the ocean and on the other side rise rapidly). deep snow – while making passage challenging – does not make it impassable. low temperatures in themselves only of course require proper layering of proper clothing

olafa likes to walk the gasnil hill trail in her suspenders a solid three times a week, every second day if possible. she does this in november and december until precipitation and low temperatures make the trail impassable without specialized equipment and training, which olafa doesn’t have and isn’t particularly interested in obtaining. only once does she consider not completing the trail due to ice in a narrow steeply-cliffed section but manages to find some safe stepping spots to navigate the danger. there is some risk of falling to her death but she feels this is minimal and olafa has sufficient experience and body knowledge to justly consider her judgement reasonable in such situations

olafa has to leave the small city of heresiarch ooQ for a time but returns in late january, at which point the conditions cooperate to allow her to walk the trail twice in her first week. a few minor obstacles but never to the point as before where she considers not completing the trail. when she goes to walk gasnil hill trail in the small city of heresiarch ooQ the third time in the new year she encounters at the trail’s lower outset a barrier and a new sign, the latter not simply warning of steep cliffs and difficult passage as the other signs do but of winter closure, with legal language telling the walker she assumes all risk and responsibility absolutely

as if i didn’t before says olafa. but the day and conditions are better than that one day i considered not completing the trail. indeed, while not as good as the best days they’re better than the 3 or 4 slightly challenging days. i will walk the trail. and she climbs over the barrier and laughs at the serious legal language and walks and has a delightful time and the ocean is like the golden hair of the gods and the sky as the tawny belly of the ancient great bird roc and the land like the sleepy genitalia of a once loved lover and the sun, though shy behind a great orgy of clouds, like a wondrous vast rube goldberg machine made entirely of a single act of blown coloured glass, elaborately whirring and confusing and deviously complicated, a weltmaschine, a kinetic art installation hung from the heaven we pride ourselves in having slaughtered, a veeblefetzer, auspicious and doomed

next: a lesson in jurisprudence ii

some notes that could be deemed philosophical