Searching for the Source

The creek that runs through our property, Eight Mile Creek, is a beautiful and mysterious part of our new reality. It's always a bit of a trek to get there because it sits in the ravine and you must walk through the woods and somewhat precariously down the side of the hill. When you arrive, though, a whole new world opens up - the smooth rocks, the islands that form when the creek forks, the trees that jut out from the side of the banks...I am always most intrigued by the sounds of the rushing water.

Recently, our adventurous house guests decided that we should "find the source" of this creek and just start walking. There's a bit of a hesitation, of course, because this will necessitate walking on someone else's land. Regardless, we took off on Saturday morning and started exploring. Unlike on our property, at many parts of the creek there are flatlands along one side of the bank (with a steep embankment on the other side). Thus, we had to cross the creek a few different times to get to the side with the flatlands for some easier walking. Crossing over was always a challenge, trying to find the right rocks/footing without falling in.

We discovered many amazing things along the way, both natural and "man made." Mushrooms always drew the group together to check them out (orange ones, red ones, white ones, gray ones), followed by some commentary about the seemingly alien nature of mushrooms. A favorite of one person in our party was a mysterious white, 5 gallon bucket that washed up against an old primitive bridge. She had to open the bucket and inside, to her utter amazement, it was full of corn, some of which was rotten, but mostly not. And we discovered a camp/fire pit that had been set up along the way, a spot that seemed perfect for an all-night vision quest or just hanging out and drinking a few beers. Nearby, we came across a downed tree with a hunter's tree stand still attached to it.

We did some serious bushwhacking on this journey and finally ended up at a pond on which a couple of houses sat (along with a shiny yellow kayak that looked like a lot of fun). It wasn't the source of the creek. According to the map, we probably had another mile to go but it felt like enough for us. So, we turned around and marveled that it took an hour and a half to get there but only about 20 minutes to get back.

Water is the basic substance that connects us in this world. This water on "our" land runs through the land of our neighbors, the land of the deers and turkeys. It flows to Catskill Creek which flows into the Hudson River, which goes to the center of the universe, New York City, and then right into the ocean. As another river in this country is flooding as I write this, it is all too clear that what happens upstream is so intimately connected to what happens downstream.