The Best Box I Didn't Find

I have visited the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania several times in a past life, canoing Pine Creek in the early spring when canoing is possible, portaging through the Creek in the summer months when the need to paddle somewhere was strong but I had never walked along the rail trail before. There are quite a few boxes along the Pine Creek trail and I set out early on Sunday to find two of them. After walking a fairly good distance, maybe about a mile to a mile and a quarter, I reached the location of the first box, The Paw Paw. It was missing. But as I was poking around the brush along the creek hoping to locate the box, I saw a reflection in the water of a bald eagle. My breath caught in my throat as I looked skyward to see him in real but the trees in the area prevented that and till I reached a clearing, he was gone. My heart was beating fast though at the excitement of being so near to such a regal creature.

I continued downstream in search of the second box and after walking about another half mile, decided that this box would be better found in the colder months when the brush had died down a bit. So, reluctantly, I turned around and headed back upstream for the two mile walk back to my car. But wait....what was that circling around the creek again....it was my eagle!!! This time I watched him dip and glide his way up the side of the mountain, too awed to take the time to turn my camera on for fear I would lose site of him again. I may not have found my boxes, but I found oh, so much more that morning.