Nothing Gold Can Stay: Spring Greenbelt Walk
- Admin
- May 13
- 4 min read
Nothing Gold Can Stay
—Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.
I was looking forward to a rewarding early May Greenbelt walk. We had timed it perfectly to catch the native pinxter azalea in peak bloom, along with other early spring wildflowers. The season was unfolding with a light touch—some days warm, some cool—tantalizing and slow. The first flush of green as trees leaf out is heartening—and altogether brief.
So it was surprising to see no one at the Greenbelt Nature Center on Sunday, May 4. Not even our regulars showed up for the scheduled walk. The forecast had called for intermittent late showers, but the morning was beautiful: mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures.
While I waited, I chatted with a dedicated man who had traveled from New Jersey to help with trail maintenance planned by the parks workers that morning. After waiting 45 minutes, it was clear no one was coming, so I decided to set off on my own and reevaluate when I stopped for lunch at High Rock.
Delighted by the morning birdsong, I fired up my Merlin app right at the start of the Nature Center trail. It identified the calls of the northern cardinal, blue jay, white-throated sparrow, black-throated blue warbler, robin, northern parula, black-and-white warbler, warbling vireo, blackpoll warbler, rose-breasted grosbeak, orange-crowned warbler, prairie warbler, and magnolia warbler. The experience would have been perfect had I actually spotted any of the migrating warblers, but I’ve come to accept nature’s serendipitous gifts—offered freely and without effort—as deeply satisfying in their own right.
I love the yellow trail portion that leads up to High Rock. It winds through hollows and climbs steep banks beside meandering streams and fields of skunk cabbage. I think I prefer it to the Gretta Moulton Trail. I was eating my lunch at the High Rock picnic table when I heard a familiar voice: “Hello, Hillel!” It was Don, arriving to meet me.
He explained that the 5-Borough Bike Tour had caused transportation delays, and in his rush to leave, he’d forgotten his phone. The astonishing thing is that he still knew precisely where and when to meet me—even though I had started 45 minutes late and slightly altered the planned route. Some people just have that uncanny knack, a sort of internal compass honed from years of walking the Greenbelt trails.
I told Don I didn’t feel compelled to complete the full loop back to the Nature Center—I planned to head home instead. But I did want to see the flowering pinxter, and I knew of a reliable stand near Hourglass Pond. After admiring the peak bloom of Staten Island’s official native plant, we circled back to the blue trail, descended toward Walker Pond, and joined the trail along Egbertville Ravine.
Thanks to the efforts of the Forest Restoration Team, led by Brian and Don, the streamside bank has been practically cleared of garlic mustard—and the results are phenomenal. Don pulled a few more plants on our way back, and I collected them in a trash bag for disposal.
The team's work does not go unnoticed. A couple of days later, I received an email from Lisa, a social worker who works with bereaved relatives at Addeo Hospice Residence, which is near the trail. She wrote:
“I am writing to thank you for maintaining the White Trail at Egbertville Ravine. Each month, University Hospice hosts a bereavement workshop called Healing in Nature. Bereaved hospice families and community members meet at the Addeo Residence, explore a focus theme, and take a walk on the White Trail—from Meisner Avenue to the bridge over the creek. We return to the Residence, have snacks, and discuss the walk. The goal is to provide an alternative healing modality for the bereaved participants.”
Around 2 p.m., a brief light shower passed through—nothing we haven't endured before on our walks. After pausing to admire the blooming mayapple near the BMP Pond, Don and I parted ways at the junction of the red and white trails. I headed toward the multiuse trail and Willowbrook Park, while Don went off to tackle another patch of invasives he knew to be along the white trail.
The Greenbelt is well known for its diverse topography—its hills, ravines, ridges, grasslands, and open vistas—and I enjoy them all. But the red trail through LaTourette Park is something special. It embodies the heart of the Greenbelt's deep forests. Here, you feel miles removed from the built world, fully embraced by nature’s thriving, protected domain. This is nature’s home—and we are welcome guests.
Eventually, I found myself among the familiar paths of Willowbrook Park. Don’t forget to read the park sign at the chimney ruin for some historical context. (As is my habit, I always stop to lift a stone back into place to help repair the century-old structure.) All told, I think I must have walked seven miles or so.
Which brings me back to the beginning: why do you think no one showed up for this well-publicized, iconic walk? Spring is fleeting, and this walk usually offers ample delights and surprises. If you have any thoughts about how we might encourage more participation, please share them in the comments. It would mean the world to us.
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