Looking back from ground zero

A geocache can take you somewhere special and move you through that space in a way that makes for a memorable experience.   Nice place for a walk in Orange (GC2M32G) gave me just such an experience on a hot and sunny Saturday in early June.

“Nice place for a walk in Orange” is fairly close to the western edge of the town of Orange, Virginia.  At first I tried to reach the cache from Porterfield Drive to the north but there was no way to get there without crossing private property.  Property lines and topography naturally led me to approach from the parking lot of nearby Orange Elementary School, and it’s the ascending east to west walk to ground zero which helps make this geocache so special.

After a short trip across the blazing asphalt of  parking lot and basketball court I walked a loop around a baseball field and entered the green coolness created by a large stand of mature maple trees.  Nicely spaced, these trees cover an area of several acres that slopes upward to the west and north as one walks in from the east.  The ascending  walk upward into this gathering of majestic trees is a wonderful thing.  I could have followed the path that winds around the outer edge of this bit of forest but I walked straight up and in towards ground zero through the heart of the trees.  I slowed and had a look around as I approached the center.

At that moment I was the only person inside a quiet oasis of green.  The presence of these old trees and the  shade and comfort they provided me stopped me on the spot.   Some minutes ago I’d been caught up in the process of navigating my car as close as possible to “Nice place for a walk in Orange.”  In a few moments I’d continue my way to the geocache and log my find.  But right then in that moment I was only aware of how wonderful it was to be standing in the middle of those trees.   These accidental moments of joy are part of what makes geocaching so special.