My husband and I recently hiked around Arnold, CA, and Big Trees State Park. Instead of keeping a standard journal, I like to document my travels through poetry—much like the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) did on his own journeys.

In his book, Narrow Road to the Interior, Basho combined travel notes, sketches, and poems. On one stop, a fellow poet gifted him straw sandals with iris-blue straps. Rather than writing a plain note about it (my friend gave me a pair of sandals), Basho captured the moment with this verse:

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