I
love walking in the rain.
A
light drizzle of sorts that is. Not one of those heavy, drenching,
fit more for geese and fish than me types of rain. Rather, one
where you feel the mist hit your face and it seems to dry immediately.
(That
doesn’t mean I don’t like a complete drenching now and then. I
do. Just seems a bit better suited to appreciating the noise of
it drumming on a skylight, or watching the scattershot dots dancing
across a deck, as opposed to hiking for a few miles in a downpour.)
The
other night, I got to enjoy just such a walk.
Two
things to know as we set the stage. First, it has snowed a bit
in the past week or so. Never too deep, perhaps an inch or two,
but more than one snowfall and enough to put a good amount of
water on the ground as it melted. Second, there’s a road near
my house that leads into the woods. It’s not a private road, but
it is a dirt road that essentially accesses nothing and is rarely
driven. But it makes for a perfect walking trail.
The
road runs along the side of my property and off into the distance.
There’s a turn after slightly more than a quarter-mile, then it
takes swings back and forth slightly until reaching a bit of an
arching loop as its end. By just staying on the road, you could
easily clear two miles of walking simply by going to the circular
area and back to my house.
Lining
most of the road are trees and brush, which creates a tremendous
tapestry that changes virtually every day. As the seasons change,
each brings along with it something new to discover and enjoy.
From snow to flowers to foliage, with wildlife wandering about,
it’s an incredible patch of land to explore. Sounds sappy and
perhaps bordering on poetic, but incredibly true.
A
great feature of this trail is that the dirt is fairly well packed
down, so even when it gets a bit wet and muddy you can still manage
to find decent footing without your feet sinking beyond your ankles
into the mud.
But
the real beauty of it all is that you never know what you are
going to find. Even though the woods can be thick and difficult
to access along most of the road, especially during the late spring
and summer months, there are several breaks that allow you to
wander off if you wish. These access points are worn in enough
that they make for fun mini adventures on some afternoons, tromping
along new ground with no fear of getting lost of not being able
to trace your way back out.
In
addition, lots of wildlife seem to make their homes in this area.
It is absolutely common to walk the road several days in a row
and see prints after prints being added to the collection. What
might start out as a few deer on day one can turn to more deer
and some raccoons on day two. Keep strolling along the route for
a few more days, add in turkeys, coyotes, rabbits, several varieties
and sizes of cats and more.
Over
the years, I’ve written a lot of essays based on something to
do with nature. Discussing a walk in the rain is not the first
time I’ve discussed deer tracks. I’ve thought about fireflies
and chipmunks and turkeys often before. Even included rain a few
different ways. Crazy thing is, even with these similar building
blocks, I always find the puzzle a bit unique as it’s assembled.
Walking
in a light rain can be amazing. Not too hard. Light enough where
the spots on your shirt seem to disappear in seconds. Light enough
where you’re not rushing to get anywhere because your socks aren’t
getting soggy.
The
path I’ve strayed upon has uneven ground off to the sides. All
of this melting snow and rain creates temporary changes. The running
water becomes streams. The standing water puddles.
Off
to one side is something a bit more than a puddle. Has a bit of
depth to it. Maybe thirty feet across. And on this particular
day, two ducks. I have never seen ducks in or near my yard before.
Lots of Canadian geese flying overhead, but no ducks. There’s
always something new.
Nothing
has to be what you expect, even when it’s pretty much exactly
what you expected. You’ll notice different things, maybe take
an unplanned turn, and eventually come around full circle.
Sometimes
the skies are clear. Sometimes it rains. It always has the opportunity
to provide a little magic if you open your eyes.