Part of our homestead is a wild and wooded area. There was already a footpath when we arrived almost seven years ago. The path is a semi-circle that curves around the spring that feeds the two ponds on our property before spilling into the creek that will eventually flow into the Reedy River.
When we first went looking for the origin of the spring in the woods I had a picture in my head of a bubbling spring, like a fountain. The reality is that you can see water pooling up in an area where there is no water flowing down from above. It’s a muddy area below the walking path that’s hard to approach without sinking into the ground.
My elderly neighbor remembers when this area was more of a swamp. Our two ponds were dredged at some point. Right here, right now, where the water seeps up from below and starts to flow, there are a few ferns poking out of the leaf cover. The bare trees allow a view of the spring as it begins to flow from this special spot, never to return.
