Nature And The Woods

From a young age, I have always just loved being out on the trail in the woods. Most nice days when I was a kid, we went to the state park when my dad got home from work. We spent so much time at Neshaminy State Park that I think I had memorized the trail. Sometimes we just went fishing, but most of the time we walked along the trail. I can still remember the smell of the tidal water along the Delaware River, and its confluence with the Neshaminy Creek. We spent so much time there, and I remember how the tides would be different each time.

We probably went there a lot because it was free, for one thing, and my dad liked the outdoors. He hunted, he fished, and just enjoyed the woods. It was also a short drive from home, less than 5 minutes. One of the memories that sticks with me most is being on the shore of the Delaware River watching a thunderstorm across the river. We were seeing lots of lightning and could see the rain line creeping across the river.

Once in a while, we’d head up to Tyler State Park in Bucks County. It took longer to get there, so we didn’t go that often, but the trails were more fun up there. It reminded me of the mountains. We used to see deer and other animals there. Once Christmas day or at least within a day or two of Christmas, we were there and saw deer humping. I was able to see that because, by then, I had a pair of binoculars that I always brought.

I also remember being very young, going in the woods in the mountains with my dad and mom, or dad and pop, while he scouted for signs of deer. Every time I see an area where they’d recently bedded down, I think of that. I remember the unique, sweet smell of the woods up there. I think the scent was the ferns. There were lots of ferns in the woods there, and the birch trees near the mines. The smell and color of the mountain laurel still stick with me to this day, and I think of it every spring. This fall, I was reminded of the chipmunks chirping when the one that lives near our house was sitting on the patio doing it.

Really, I think my love for geocaching is just a natural extension of my love of outdoorsy-type things. Geocaching has shown me many incredible places that I may not have discovered otherwise. It really is excellent to get you to explore areas near and far from home.

Being out in the woods truly is my happy place. Growing up, when we were out in the woods in the mountains, it was where I was most at peace with everything in life. My mind really has never been calm or kind to me, so that was a much-needed escape.