I probably should have resolved to stay home and work around the house, but National Trails Day is actually National Trails weekend, and even though most of the walks are scheduled for Saturday, there were two today fairly close to home. I felt guilty shunning duty but I have always lived with guilt, so I opted to try what was billed as a challenging trek up a local promontory known at Rixton Mountain. Alas, I was late to the party, and the Trails Day crew had already departed. Given my own challenges, I wasn't likely to catch the group, so, with a fine trail stretching out before me and the weather clear and cool, I headed out on my own. As I took my bearings and decided on a precise route, there was a commotion in the leaf canopy and—happy, happy day!—a brilliant plumaged male Baltimore Oriole showed his glories for the briefest of moments. I took the show as agreement that, even though I'd be walking alone, I'd have another kind of company and was doing right thing in opting to trek.