Visited the wolves again this weekend while geocaching. Between myself and a friend, three more caches were discovered — including one containing a plastic grasshopper. Our wanderings took us far from the main gate, however, and we barely made it out of the park in time.
(If you like this post, you may also enjoy All Wolves Must Sleep and The Hidden Garden.)
Update 2009-05-17: Looking for more wolf photographs? Please see The Hidden Garden and You Silent Mirror, You Wolf.
All buffeting ceased when they emerged from the clouds over mountains worn and low and green. Tense squall warnings were replaced by indistinct shouts of elation as the lookouts reported barns, fields, and other structures.
Exhausted, he watched a chart marker roll into the gutter at the edge of his navigation table. A 45 degree turn to port. Time to take another drift sounding.
Outside, clipped onto the harness and lines, he was briefly overwhelmed by the memory of a meadow near his grandfather’s house. The memory of sitting within a secret fold in the Earth there, playing in the peculiar way of an aeronaut. His fingers traced tiny roads in the damp sand. They followed the outline of a clump of moss, a row of twigs raised like barren trees.
Elsewhere, he heard the rhythm of the wind across the grasses, the rapid beat of the loose barn boards which always spoke of storms.
They found it in the depths of the wetlands there — gathering all the light, tumorous, bearded in still-green moss.
The disturbances were first noticed almost a thousand years earlier. Marginalia inscribed by some nameless, freezing monk upon that famous map: “Site 5: Halted water, prismatic light; instruments inaccurate — ”
The passage concluded: “Interference patterns evident in behavior of fauna — 2-5-1933 Akron.” Two hyphens, a date, a name. “Low-theta glyphs” according to the literature. Unimportant.
In the face of that ageless, dark concretion, significance itself has none.
Late Sunday afternoon, two friends and I again ventured forth in search of hidden things. These exertions were well rewarded.
In time, we came upon several geese and their newly constructed nests.
Their watchful guardian was near to hand, but gave us leave to pass in peace.
As the afternoon began to wane, we found ourselves hiking deep into the forest on trails which rose into lands illuminated by a curious light.
In a place such as this, one must carefully observe shadows — they will adopt guises both strange and familiar.
A return from such realms is secured only at some cost.
On Sunday, I went geocaching with some friends at a local park.
The day was windy and overcast.
In spite of the damp weather, we were completely absorbed in the discovery of hidden places.
Though we were confounded on at least one occasion…
… our persistence eventually paid off.
A cache of foreign treasure!
Observe, however, that the way home was not without peril!
Today, some photographs from my most recent geocaching adventure.
The first geocache of the day required me to lurk for awhile in the woods near some wolf pens as muggles idly wandered past with their walking sticks and bicycles. Trying to remain inconspicuous, I adopted the outward guise of a naturalist very concerned with the health of the forest ecosystem.
(Perhaps I was too close to the wolves, though — as time wore on, I found myself watching everyone closely for any sign of weakness or frailty.)
Some time later, I came to a path littered with the bones of tiny hopes.
That path eventually (inevitably?) led me to a hidden garden deep in the woods.
Geocaching will take you to some fascinating secret places — as well as test your cunning. Just be sure to bring snacks if you must linger near wild animals and ambulatory buffets other people for any length of time.
Update 2009-03-25: Here’s a sharpened version of the gravestone image. The dates appear to be 1908 and 1911 (or 1917?). The deterioration — and probably the photography — make the rest of the writing difficult to discern.
Update 2009-05-17: I’ve taken more pictures of wolves recently. Please see All Wolves Must Sleep and You Silent Mirror, You Wolf.
This past weekend, I went geocaching with my good friend Christy and Sam the Geodog. 
We found our first cache with some difficulty, but the next two went pretty smoothly as we worked out how to properly adjust the resolution of the GPS. The latter caches led us across surreal foggy landscapes populated by twisting bridges and rocky mountain outcrops.
Three caches in one day! Not bad for former muggles.
(If you have the time, I really recommend getting involved in the practice. Beyond discovering hidden treasures everywhere, it’s a great opportunity to explore the outdoors and take photographs!)
