[19] A Stopover in a Forest

Written and Performed by Monty Dicksion

April – May, 2022

Outdoor scenes filmed at Exploration Trail, Running Springs, California, May 17, 2022

About "[19] A Stopover in a Forest"

There’s a whole beaucoup bunch of stuff I’d like to write about this song and about the making of the video. Maybe I’ll get around to writing a more thorough description and explanation of this song one of these days.

For now, I’ll just say a couple of things –

I made up the song in the summer of 1974, near the end of a month-long hitchhiking trip. I had made an overnight stopover at a sort of a farmhouse in the deep woods in Oregon, somewhere around Grant’s Pass. That’s where I made up this song. I made it up on a recorder flute, and it’s an allusion to that in the video, when the hiker hears some recorder flute notes.

The song is intended to evoke feelings of serenity, beauty, and simplicity, but also of power. To me, mountains and forests are places of immense power.

I had no other choice but to do the video shoot alone, with a guitar and daypack on my back, Corky on a leash in one hand and pulling a cart of gear with the other hand, often hefting it over boulders.

The hike was about .6-mile one way, ending in the exact spot as depicted in the video. Ordinarily, it would not have been a very difficult hike, but burdened as I was, it was a very arduous hike, both for me and for Corky.

I am able to make an audio-only copy of the song by itself for you if you would like. You can use the Contact Me form on my website to request this or any of my other songs.

I hope you enjoy the song/video.