It
was a network of double-backs and switch-backs getting in here today. Either way I had to back up several times and
find a new route. A few times it was due
to private property. More often than not
it was because of swampy backwater areas.
The ground was soft and muddy, and the precipitation for the day was
snow. With the ground thawed now, the
snow has had a hard time sticking; although just a few miles east of here,
people are sledding and building snowmen.
The Backwoods Swept "Clean" From The Recent Snow-Melt
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My
hope is that after breaking down my day camp and putting out my fire, that I can
find my way out. I built the fire for
both comfort and to heat water for hot chocolate; not to mention the challenge of
whether I could get it going under such wet conditions. I’m going to have to back-track through the
maze etched in my mind. I hugged channels
and oxbows as I hiked along in my calf-high boots. I also shimmied across fallen trees to cross
deep water; twice if I remember correctly.
I’m not lost, as I know the exact area that I’m in. It’s just that I came in from another area to
get back in here, and I still have to find my way back out. In Greek mythology, labyrinths held Minotaur
monsters. The monsters that I’ll have to
deal with today are the scraggly shoots of poison ivy, and any notions of crazy
woodsmen I might allow my mind to wonder about.
Probably like Grover, in Sesame Street’s book entitled, The Monster
at the End of This Book; it’s just me that I would have to fear out
here.
Reflections On A Back-water Channel
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Mallards
call on the flight, as do the wood ducks.
Geese are out on the main river, an eagle cruises above it, and the wind
sways the trees that the woodpeckers hunt in.
Tracks belie the hidden herd of deer that my dog Kora and I pushed in
ahead of us. After a week where I hung on
the precipice of getting a cold, following the preparation and late nights of 5th
grade camp last week, I think I’m now on the mend. I took the week off from running to throw it
off, but I simply couldn’t help myself this afternoon; I needed to get out in
nature with this weather.
The "Orangutan" Face Burr Oak Tree
Today I used A Walking Stick My Dad Carved For Me
Day Camp At The Base Of The Burr Oak
My
fire is burning low, the air is getting colder, and my dog Kora is pressing so
hard against my right shoulder that it’s hard to write in my journal. She didn’t make it across some of the natural
bridges that I found, and had to swim a few times; albeit once
inadvertently. I have her tucked, and
hunkered down in my flannel lined ground cloth, but she’s still shivering a
bit. Once we start hiking out, she’ll
warm up quickly with her curious activity; and I plan on giving her a bath when
I get home. It’s the least I can do for
her.
Journaling While My Water Heats Up For Cocoa
Staying Dry Under My Tarp
So
it’s time to fight back against the unknowns, and make my way out through the
maze and labyrinth I took to get into this section of the backwater woods. It will be a great adventure and story to
explain how I got in here and back again.
See
you along The Way
The End Of A Huge, Straight Grained, Green Ash Tree
