Walking through the Black Forest late Monday afternoon between the villages of Muggart and Laufen I realized my phone just doesn’t do what I want it to. An upgrade would seem to be required – but the feature I feel is missing is probably decades away.

It isn’t the quality of the camera, as you can see the pictures it takes are adequate, though not exceptional. Though that may be a reflection on the calibre of the photographer rather than the device itself.

But the pictures are not enough. And that is where the phone’s deficiency really came into play.

All along the trail there were stacks of logs, or sometimes just piles of wood. It is logging season in the Black Forest. Actually, given that there is really no winter here, logging can be a full-time occupation.

What I really wanted to share with you today though was not the pictures of the trees and logs. I wanted to share the smell. And I couldn’t find a button on my phone that would allow me to attach the scent to the picture.

There’s something special about the smell of just-cut fir trees. Maybe it is because we tend to associate that fir smell with Christmas trees and all the good things surrounding that season.

Whatever the reason, I found myself stopping from time to time and taking a deep breath, inhaling the odor. I was tempted in more than one spot to sit on one of the trailside benches and just breath in the atmosphere.

However, like poet Robert Frost, I had “miles to go,” so I didn’t indulge myself. I just snapped a few pictures and continued on the trail towards Sulzburg.

Twenty years fron now mobile phones may be so sophisticated that they will record smells along with images, if you so desire. For now though, you’ll just have to imagine the aroma of fresh-cut fir.