A Nature Walk From Gethsemane to Calvary

Today's nature walk with the grandchildren proved to be quite a workout, but it was a wonderful experience.  "Can we come back here?" Wyatt asked as we were leaving.

We drove out and parked at Pack's Ponds, southwest of  the farm home of Randy and Annette Matthias.  This farm is located about one mile north of where my parents raised their family--where our son Shane and his wife live now.  Salt Creek runs through the Packebush-Matthias land roughly from west to east.  It crosses the Partridge-Nickerson Road a little over a mile south of 4th Street. 

We have walked on this property a number of times for nature walks, but today was a markedly different experience for several reasons.  First, the men in the Packebush and Matthias families have done an extraordinary amount of work to clear the pasture of the Locust forest that has taken over what used to be grassland.  On earlier walks, we could never stray far from the broad mowed path that mostly hugged the perimeter of the pasture because of the impenetrable jungle of wickedly thorny trees.  Many of those trees, however, fell recently to a huge saw that cut off trees at ground level, operated by someone seated on a piece of machinery that powered the saw (can you tell that I don't know the name of such a machine and can't really even picture it?).  Another machine pushed everything into huge brush piles, and Randy Matthias came along and painted every stump with Tordon--a chemical treatment that prevents regrowth of the cut trees.  Now the pasture is far more open, and the creek is visible from the walking path.  

The second thing that was different is that the Matthias family has invested in making the walk a reflective, worshipful experience by capitalizing on the season we're in on the Christian calendar.  The trail that they have marked out with arrows on small signs and resting places along the way is .93 miles long, exactly the same distance as the walk from Gethsemane to Calvary.  A cross stands at the end of the trail. 

The third thing that was different today is that the windmill by the ponds was turning slowly, and water was running into one of the ponds in a steady stream from the end of a long pipe connected to the windmill.   

The little open shelter by the ponds is the place to begin the walk to the cross.  Walking sticks are available, and two small galvanized tubs hold other items to make the walk meaningful.  One tub has smooth stones and permanent markers.  All are invited to name a burden they're carrying and write it on a stone.  The stone can be carried to the cross and laid at the foot of it.  The other tub contains tiny crosses made from a snippet of those locust thorns.  It's glued to a paper on which is printed a scripture verse about the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Many different verses are recorded.  Each person who takes the walk may also take a cross -and-verse memento.

Annette Matthias urged us to tell our friends about the opportunity to walk the Gethsemane-to-Calvary trail.  They warmly welcome people to do so.  

I have visions of Sunday School classes, small groups, families, exercising friends, and school children doing the walk together.  If you'd like to do this, contact me or someone else who has taken the walk for more specific instructions on how to get to the trail head, what to expect in terms of walking conditions, etc.  A stroller, wagon, or even a wheelchair could probably be used, or a small powered vehicle like a Gator. The walkway is wide (like a driveway), and it has been smoothed out, so there are no ruts, and no clumps of vegetation create a tripping hazard.  It's level most of the way although the path dips down to cross a huge drainage culvert at one point.  I walked the entire length in walking shoes, after more than an inch of rain earlier this week.  Just so you know--mud is not a huge problem, although the first part of the trail crosses part of a wheat field.

The children marveled, as I did, that the path to the cross was so long.  No wonder Jesus couldn't carry his cross all that way.  Annette told us that her brother Steve would like to learn what a crucifixion cross weighed, and what the length of the pieces was.  Then he would like to recreate a life-sized cross.  

My brother Myron worked on the Packebush farm for many years.  Those farm ponds where the walk begins?  Ask Myron to tell you some time about the time that Pack's pickup rolled right into the pond and sank out of sight.  Myron got the honors of swimming down deep enough to hook a chain onto one part of the truck so that it could be pulled out.  

If you're lucky, you  might see waterfowl on the ponds and in the creek, tiny fish and snails along the shore, kingfishers in the trees, and hawks overhead.  For people with sharper eyes than mine, small songbirds enliven the  scene.  You'll hear familiar bird calls, even if you might not be able to spot them or identify them.  You might see tracks of deer, turkeys, racoons, and other wild animals. Today we saw an armadillo, digging busily at first, then scuttling away to hide under a pile of brush or "old iron."

Randy and Annette are both retired teachers.  I think retirement looks really good on them, and I'm grateful for how they're using their time to bless the community by making this walking trail available to others, as well as in many other ways.