The land's angle became more severe[it refers to the incline or steepness, harder to travel through], the light waning, streaked as if cut with scissors and braided to the ridge piece by piece[waning refers to a decrease in intensity, the streaks referring how it comes through branches/obstructions].Soon poplars and hickories replaced the softwoods. [This talks about the difference in flora, so the first area had softwoods, as they kept walking, they now had poplars and hickories around them, all of these are different trees]