The Stone Forest

[Yet another old story of mine. This is pretty much a story of what happened to me one day when I went for a little expedition for the purpose of exploration. I could edit it now, because I know there is problem, especially with the exactness of the copy I got when I switched sources.]




I arrive eagerly to what I think is
going to be a great and awesome experience. Who wouldn’t want to see the “....Stone.. ..Forest....”.
As I arrive though, all my expectations are crushed when I realize there is
nothing special about the place whatsoever. There isn’t even any stones, except
for a little gazebo that looks like no one has used it in a while. Let down and
no longer motivated, I struggle with what to do next.



“I made it
this far, I might as well keep going” Is the census that my mind came down to,
for I have been exploring this place for the first time, despite it being near
me my whole life. I have too far to just turn back. Go the distance, explore
new places, and see new sights. I press onward, not knowing what to expect,
though this whole journey didn’t have any insight in the first place, until I
saw the sign that led me to this dull “....Stone.. ..Forest....”.



I go
through a field, which leads to the nearest wooded area, to continue my
journey. Soon after going into this field, my foot sinks into a watery muck
that gets my shoe covered with mud, and had water seep through the small holes
in my worldly shoes. I soon regret ever continuing on with this increasingly
regretful trip, but I thought to myself “I made it this far, I might as well
keep going.”



The
swamp-like field has past and I make it to the forest. After a few steps, I see
that there is a small stream running through this little valley that time has
decided to make. There really isn’t much to cross, so normally this journey
would have ended unless I was willing to get my already damp shoes soaked, but
then something catches my eye. In the middle of the stream, there were some
stacked bricks and rocks, making a little stepping stone path across the
stream.



Obviously it had to be man made
since there were bricks there. Maybe Someone like me came here before me,
disappointed too when visiting the supposed “Stone Forest”, and put some nearby
stone objects to cross the stream after crossing the marsh. They could have left
it there for the next one who would cross after deciding to move on wards, or
it simply could have slipped there minds. Either way, this little stone path
would help me and countless others who thought in their minds “I made it this
far, I might as well keep going.”



I cross the
stream, carefully, unsure of the craftsmanship of the stone bridge, just to be
relieved that it is sturdy. As I climb up out of the stream I grab onto a
branch, which breaks, almost making me fall into the stream. Thinking quickly, I
plunge the stick into the water to keep my balance. This, stick, though
somewhat a trap, has also helped me, and maybe it would help me in the future.



For the
second time, I try to climb out of the stream, and this time I am successful. I
go out to see another, and this time even bigger field. It bore more
resemblance with a prairie, then a marsh or swamp this time, containing tall,
yellowish leaves. Dead, tall yellowish weeds. I step past the last few branches
that block my way onto the field. Immediately I notice that I cannot see much
in this place. It was surrounded by trees everywhere, except for at the
complete opposite end, there was an opening, but I could not see what laid
beyond the opening. I also notice that in the middle, but still towards the
opposite end, was what looked like really tall, skinny stones, but in reality
were petrified trees. This was the closest thing I have seen to a stone forest
at all, but it was nowhere near what was labeled as the “....Stone.. ..Forest....”.
After scoping the place out, I look for the most cleared path and I keep
walking onward.



I am
walking on a slightly muddy, riddled with brush path. I wondered where the
person before me traveled after crossing the river, there doesn’t seem to be
much a path at all. Continuing to walk on, I look around, only to notice
something odd. I see a group of boards on a slightly cleared path. They were
extended over a small muddy puddle. It soon hits me; there is a path. I run to
it, and look back, seeing some boards going back towards the way I came, but
from a slightly different entrance into the field. Soon I find myself running
back to the beginning of the trail, and I had no idea why. Maybe I wanted to
travel the same path that, someone, or possibly many people have traveled
before when they just were not content with what life has presented them. I
then turn around, and I continued to walk the path.



This path…
it can’t be naturally made. It had to be worn down. One person could have not
done this, it was made over time. Other people have traveled this same route
that I stood on. I started to walk on a little bridge, that actually look like
it took some time to be crafted. It was over a big muddy area. There was no way
it was new, since it looked like it was worn down a lot. No one could have
known that at this time, it would be muddy, so why build a bridge just for one
trip to God-knows-where?



My feet
were tired. At this point, I have been walking for two and a half hours, though
I did take an accidental half hour nap near a lake that I never knew existed.
This path seemingly went nowhere. It would be a waste to keep going only to end
up nowhere, but I thought to myself, “I made it this far, I might as well keep
going.”



I was a lot
closer to the newly found “....Stone..
..Forest....” then I was before,
but the path I was on surprisingly did not lead to it. It was then that I strayed away from the path
and I walked to the group of petrified trees. I have seen petrified trees
before, but none as white as these were. I felt my hand against one of the trees,
and it was hard as a rock… or a stone. There were about twelve petrified trees
total, compared to the hundreds upon hundreds of regular trees that surrounded
this mysterious meadow. Indeed this was a beautiful sight. On the tree that I
touched, I saw that someone carved with a knife “Joe and Christine” and it was
in a heart. Cliché yes, but something about it made the whole scene even
better. Others like me have strayed the path others have made to a place that
others have stayed, and I am sure those others that stayed had done as I was
doing, and that was making my way back to the path, away from this ....Stone.. ..Forest.....”



There were
some small tree branches, though big enough to walk on; they were not too big
for someone to move. They covered another puddle. How again did someone know
that again, there would be a puddle? I didn’t question it, just appreciated it.
Throughout the way, I used the stick that saved me once, to help keep my
balance as I walked on these branches. After these last few puddles though, I
had noticed something. I was near the end of the field.



Some odd
building that I didn’t recognize was at the end of the path, determined to find
out where this whole path has lead me. I walked on until I got to a puddle that
didn’t have any way to cross it. No bricks, no stones, no boards, no bridge, no
logs. This was the first thing that I had come across that someone did not
previously put something there to help all those that would follow after him.
It was then that I realized the answer that I had been thinking about the whole
time, how did they know there would be obstacles when they took this man-made
path.



It wasn’t
so much a direct answer to the question, as a way of explaining it. During that
walk, to the place the people didn’t probably know, with the hope that the new
place which was a real “....Stone..
..Forest....” was better then
the last “....Stone.. ..Forest....”, they encountered an obstacle.
Something really muddy, a stream, or a puddle. So to get across, they found
objects from other peoples poor choices and made a better one. They help make a
way to pass the obstacle. Then they kept walking on the path. Maybe the puddle
that someone else had to cross before wasn’t there for them, so they had no
reason to find a board and put it down, but they knew that when someone else
took this man-made path, it may help them, and at least for me, it did.



So I stand
there, at this puddle. Without even thinking about it, I look around. About 6
feet away was another big branch. It wasn’t quite big enough to cover the whole
puddle, but if you did a jump onto it and off it, you wouldn’t get wet. I gave
it a cross and got to the other side. It would do for now, since there was
nothing else I could have put down. It hit me that I could have easily walked
around the puddle, off the man-made path, instead of putting this branch down,
but I just turned around, and walked to the end of the field.



The last
stretch of path was a little more undefined then the rest. A little harder to
tell from the rest. While walking, I dragged my walking stick in the dirt, to
try and scratch a little more into the path, for those who will walk this path
after me. I reach the opening, and see this, “Murphy’s Down & Under Bar and
Grill”. It was a scummy place, and looked like I would get food poisoning from
eating there, that is, if I had money. There is a street, and across the
street, I saw a dirty little park. There was even a distinct sign on a fence
that said “Picnicking With Permit Only”. I was not aware that one needed a
permit to have a picnic. Right next to the park was a strip of woods, and a
slight hill. On the other side of a hill, was a construction site of some kind
of quarry. I couldn’t even stand to look around anymore, this whole place was
sickening.



I turn
around and look at the giant field I just crossed. The one thing that this
whole thing made me think was why? Why had this path taken me to this scummy
neighborhood, where one needed a permit to picnic, and pollution would pour out
of a place near children could try and play, where one could buy mediocre food
from people that probably wish they were dead while they cooked your crappy
food that has a dead bug in it? After all of this, you would think I would be
disappointed at the least. Sick and tired after one disappointment after another,
after walking almost three hours, even though I had a half hour nap. The thing
was, I was happy.



At this
point, I figured I should find out where in the world I was. Before going to
the road to follow it to the nearest place I could find that I knew, I walked
back to the end of the path. I saw a sign post with no sign. I took a look at
my walking stick, then I put it against the sign post. Maybe someone from this
area, that got tired of all the disappointing food, or dirty scenery, would
walk near “Murphy’s Down & Under Bar and Grill”, and see this path. Maybe
they would walk to it, and see my walking stick, and decide to walk this path
that I and many others help made. They could wonder where this path went, and
who help made it. They could revel in the beauty of the “....Stone.. ..Forest....”
and end up crossing the stepping stones in the stream, and somewhere along the
line, help put some rocks down across a puddle that wasn’t there before. At
least for them, they won’t be disappointed with the “....Stone.. ..Forest....”
that I looked forward to, and this time, they wouldn’t almost fall into the
stream because they already got my walking stick. Just maybe.



I walked
down the road for a few minutes, until I saw a familiar sight; the local movie
theatre. I now knew where I was. So seemingly this unknown place was now known.
One may think after all of this “What should I do now?” I have one and only one
answer. Think to yourself “I made it this far, I might as well keep going.”