Photo Credit: Courtesy of Preservation Parks of Delaware County
“Hmmmmm, I could smell the pine needles.” “Why don’t the low branches have needles on them?” “We saw two baby deer! They were so cute.”
The words tumbled out, faster and faster, as two young park visitors described their walk. For them, the woods had become more than merely earthy aromas and birdsong. They were full of adventure and things to explore. Yes, the kids were on a quest to find a little box hidden somewhere in the park. But that quest became secondary to the discoveries they were making along the way.
The Maynards, 13-year-old Hannah and 9-year-old Noah, were among the more than 700 young people who took part in the Summer Letterbox Adventure--a project of Ohio’s Preservation Parks of Delaware County. The children had just completed their walk at Hogback Ridge Preserve, along a trail which took them through a planted pine forest and along a ravine lined with cherry and hickory trees.