Zen and the art of walking in steams

For the first time today, I went out to walk in a stream. If this sounds like a bizarre intro, then let me fill in some of the blanks. I am doing some graduate work on whether or not 19 century mill dams had an impact on stream formations and possibly if this happened here in charlotte. Most of the work will require me to look at stream cut exposures. The best way to look at stream cuts is from inside the stream bed....and therefore the best way to find exposures and look at them is to walk in the stream.

The first thing I noticed was that walking in moving stream water is a little different from walking on land. If you lean as far forward as you do when you normally walk, you wont be able to move your feet under you and you will end up face planting in the stream. Walking in a stream is a very deliberate task...each step has to be planned and completed before moving to the next one.

The second thing I noticed was that my left wader/boot was leaking.

I came upon a guy taking pictures. I was squeezing around a downed tree, and he wanted to take a picture of the tree, so I think I was in his shot. Eventually, I worked my way up the stream to where he was, and we began to talk. Although he didnt say so, he thought it was peculiar to see a person walking, literally in a stream. I had waders on though, so he could see I wasnt doing it accidently (his facial expressions and eyes gave away his thought processes). Naturally, he asked me what I was doing. "I am just looking at the stream for some graduate work." "Well, how is the stream doing?" At this point, I didnt know how to answer him because I am not answering a "doing good" or "doing bad" type of question. So, I proceeded to try and tell him the premise of my graduate thesis without using too many earth sciences terms ("flood plain," "sediment," and "wetlands" were inescapable). I am not sure how much he understood but he was cordial. Then he told me about a herd of deer he had seen and some beavers he saw on the stream the previous year. Its funny how a man with a camera looking for animals and a guy with waders walking in a stream looking at dirt can talk like they have known each other for a long time. We said goodbyes and gave our parting greetings, and onward I slogged.

Slogged is definately the right term here.

I saw a snake. It was a tiny snake. Tiny is the species.

The world looks different from the deep channel of a shallow stream. All you see is sky and trees. All you here is the water moveing past your each step. Everything is peacefull in shallow appearance. There will be plenty more where this peace comes from.

I was saddened to see how much garbage there was in the stream. I felt like the indian guy from that commercial, with the single tear....except I am more indian than him (he was hispanic) and I didnt actually cry (of course, he probably didnt either).

So...yeah...left sock got very wet.

DAlen/ Will