When wayfarer and I get to the woods we like to "really get away". That is, to reach a time and space where our experience is not interrupted by road noise or jet planes. Where just the slightest hint of imagination could suggest that we've been transported. The forest is ancient, and the trail, timeless.
We still have those pesky satellites guiding us to the cache, but you get the point.
We almost achieved it today.
Our journey started in a very busy section of a close-by regional park. Hundreds of people were out enjoying the relative warmth of the 25-degree day. Some were cross-country skiing, others snowshoeing, and we were geocaching.
Winter Ski Trails (Click photos to enlarge)
To escape the long loops in the trail, and to avoid the many skiers, I suggested that we take a short cut across the end of a nearby lake.
Not such a good idea.
The snow was thigh deep the whole way. But we made it, found the cache, and signed the log. We both decided that this section of the park was just too busy for serious geocaching. So we jumped back into the car and headed to a more remote section.
Remote Trail Through the Pines
Ah, this was more like it. The trail led us through thick stands of hemlock, white pines, aspen, and spruce. On the hilltops, the wind whistled eerily through needled branches, but the valleys were still and silent. The only sound was the snow crunching beneath our feet. This is what we were looking for. Alone, in a time and space that was just ours.
That is, until we rounded a corner and saw the present day penny that pulled us away from the place that we loved.
It was good while it lasted. We found the cache, signed the log, and made our way back to the car.
If you know the reference from which the present day penny came, make mention of it in your reply.
