Introduction to Hammerhorn Lake
On the weekend of 3–4 September 1994, Garry Gay, John Thompson, and I had a camping trip to Hammerhorn Lake, in Mendocino County in Northern California. We wrote rengay together all weekend, while we were strolling around the lake, gathered under the stars by our bonfire, or on our long hike up Hammerhorn Mountain (an elevation gain of more than 4,000 feet, or 1,230 meters). In June of 1995, I published all the rengay we wrote on this trip in a chapbook titled Hammerhorn Lake. The book was distributed as a gift at the national meeting of the Haiku Society of America that took place on 24 June 1995 in San Francisco. The following is the book’s short introduction and a list of the eight rengay contained in the book. See also my website for Rengay (all of the following links will take you to this website).
The following rengay were written over Labor Day weekend, 1994, at Hammerhorn Lake and on Hammerhorn Mountain in California’s Yolla Bolly Wilderness Area. From the lake at night we saw the Milky Way rimmed by the dark silhouettes of lodge pole pines. From the top of the mountain, we enjoyed a distant view of Mount Shasta, mostly barren of snow due to the previous winter’s drought.
Hammerhorn Lake Michael Dylan Welch, John Thompson, and Garry Gay
Whispered Stories Garry Gay and Michael Dylan Welch
Empty Hammock Michael Dylan Welch and John Thompson
Skipped Stone John Thompson and Garry Gay
Taking Turns Michael Dylan Welch and Garry Gay
Here and There John Thompson and Michael Dylan Welch
Roasting Marshmallows John Thompson and Garry Gay
Hammerhorn Mountain Garry Gay, John Thompson, and Michael Dylan Welch