Every once in a while I’ll spot something—a landform or a water feature—on Google Maps that I just can’t resist.
That was the case with this observation. Looking at an aerial view, I found a small pond tucked away in a fortification of dense underbrush—acres of it. Judging from the imagery, there was almost certainly no easy way through the barrier of vegetation. But, there did seem to be at least one place where a close approach could be made and the required bushwhacking minimized. I decided to give it a try.
Early one morning I made my way to the spot. Just reaching it was challenging enough, but when I got there I was faced with a thick wall of Button Bush that looked to be nearly impenetrable. GPS told me I was only 30 feet (10 meters) from the pond, but I could not see even the water through the vegetation.
I started bending and cutting branches and managed to move about 5 or 6 feet (2 meters) closer. That’s when I stepped on a half rotted log, and this angry fellow slithered out. He curled up a few feet away and hissed menacingly.
I took a few pictures, and decided I would try again to reach the water—but maybe some time in the winter when there would be fewer objections from the resident Water Moccasins!
