Image taken at Shale Ridge by kenne
“There is a Thorn—it looks so old,
In truth, you’d find it hard to say
How it could ever have been young,
It looks so old and grey.
Not higher than a two years’ child
It stands erect, this aged Thorn;
No leaves it has, no prickly points;
It is a mass of knotted joints,
A wretched thing forlorn.
It stands erect, and like a stone
With lichens is it overgrown.
. . . first stanza from William Wordsworth’s, “The Thorn”
Wow !! I would not enjoy an encounter with that on one of my nude hikes !! 🙁
To say the least, these thorns are impressive.