Crossing the Field

 Taking my hiking staff out of the car, the humidity was immediately noticeable. It was still fairly early in the morning but already the temperature was in the 80’s. The weather forecasters were warning about dangerous conditions as the day progressed.

    Working my way down to the stream on an overgrown path made by fishermen, I tried my best to avoid brushing against the weeds. Both to avoid the dew which was still coating them and to avoid any ticks which might be waiting for me to pass.

    The stream was wide but not high. Evidence of high waters could be seen by the eroded walls on the banks of the far side. I stepped into the water and was instantly cooled down. Starting across, my staff aided me from slipping on the slick stones. The deepest section reached my knees, the ripples dampened the bottoms of my shorts. Reaching the far side, I had to go upstream a bit to find a tree whose roots had been exposed, allowing me to climb out of the water and up the bank.

    On the top of the bank, a large field of tall grass, cat tails and flowers spread out in front of me. A hillside covered with trees sat at the far side. The stream ran around the field, in essence, cutting it off from visitors.

    Large bunches of flowers grouped together. High grasses separated the various colors with waving greenish-gold bands. I followed paths that deer had created. The cat tails tend to grow in boggy areas, so I avoided those plants. In the grasses were tall thistles, covered in thorns, I avoided these also.

    Ruts lay in the field filled with water and mud, the tops provided a stable place to walk. My legs had dried off quickly from the crossing, but my shorts were getting wetter as I walked through the high, dewy weeds.

    I passed through batches of white daisies, bluish-purple spiderworts and crown vetch. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any poison ivy to be seen.

    At the far side of the field there is a small rise, the remains of the Pittsburgh to Butler Short Line, an electric trolley which stretched between the two cities from 1900 to1931. 

Not far from the cache…back in the day

    Remnants of the line can still be seen in numerous places, small bits and pieces were among the weeds where I was walking.

    Climbing onto the old rail bed, avoiding the wild rose bushes, I came to a spot I had visited just a week ago. I had been searching for a geocache and wasn’t able to locate it. Leaving a cache “unfound” plays heavily on my mind, so I was determined to return…soon.

    The stream level was low, even after a small rain the night before, a walk through the stream would be nice and cooling, but most of all, it was that anal desire to return and find the cache that brought me back today!

    I hadn’t brought my GPS, I remembered where I had been. I was pretty sure the cache was still there, even though no one had found it in close to a year.

    I rooted around at the base of the “obvious” tree and then slowly worked my search up the trunk and into its branches. With-in a couple minutes, the find was mine! 

    It was a small round match holder wrapped in camouflage tape. It was hanging on a small stick, blending in nicely with the branch behind it.

    After signing the log and replacing it for the next cacher, I headed back. Already the dew had evaporated from the weeds and bugs were starting to fly around. Still, it smelled wonderful and it sounded delightful. The birds were the only sounds I heard. I was too far from the stream and no cars had passed since I left, at least none that I heard.

    Haze filled the sky giving the field a muted look, like a painting with groups of flowers; their colors all mingling together with the grasses to create a masterpiece in the way only nature can create.

    A couple Red Winged Blackbirds flew by and as I neared the stream, I saw a Baltimore oriole. I was watching for the heron but “he” chose not to show himself to me today.

    At the stream, I climbed down the roots of the tree, back into the nice, cool water. Climbing out of the other side, a much easier climb, I passed a small batch of yellow Iris and then through another large patch of spiderworts.

    Back at the car, my legs had dried already but my shirt was soaked. It was only 10 in the morning and the heat would be continuing to rise as the day progressed.

    It was a great way to start the day, the rest of it would be spent in dark, cool places, avoiding the heat outdoors. I found my cache but seriously...the best part of the morning was the refreshing walk through the stream, walking through the field amongst the flowers, enjoying the smells and soaking in the quiet of the morning.