Walking the Arrowhead Trail Loop
When I was younger I knew a tiny bit of a barefoot girl who spent every minute she could outside. She was a bundle of energy empowered by imagination. Tree-climbing and rope swinging from tree to tree was the norm ... when Tarzan was on her mind. The Mississippi River levee outside her door was clearly Mt. Everest, and ol' man River an ocean of wonderment. The Delta Queen paddle wheeler was coming 'round the bend. Tom and Huck and Injun Joe floated, in its wake, with fishin' poles bobbin' along off the edge of the raft.
Once there was even a drowned-rat of a man who washed up at her very own feet. Scary? Nope. The situation was worth hours of Nancy Drew sleuthing as she watched the authorities process the site.
By far the most significant honest-to-goodness really special experiences she enjoyed most was when visiting her great-aunt and great-uncle on their 200+ acre strawberry farm (owned by the family for 200 years by then). Visits there fertilized every basic joy of this young child.
Uncle Wiltz plowed those hundreds of acres of sandy fields using a big randy mule pulling a walk behind single row plow. When his bit of a niece was there he, a very tall man, always had time to walk the woods and beach-like sandy fields with her. Their unspoken mission was always the same .... searching for Indians.
Barefoot, they both enjoyed the cool softness of the floor of the piney woods before venturing into the strawberry fields. Unconsciously they both dug their toes into the hot sand as they walked the rows of "straw-babies". He told stories of Indians from the past who still walked these same fields. He pointed out their burial ground mounded with oyster shells (from the river). More evidence was in the myriad of barefoot prints in the sand, of an extra-ordinarily huge size. Those Indians were bigger than life with gigantuan feet to prove it.
Further proof was in the hard shards of pottery, and, more important, intact arrowheads that those toes discovered as they walked ... and he talked .... and the girl imagined. Yes, there had to be Indians just inside the shadows of those pine trees at the edge of the clearing.
Uncle Wiltz plowed those fields until his mid-90s. His digging toes unearthed an infinity of arrowheads. The experience of eating hot strawberries with a light dusting of sand, just off the plant, a joyful secret shared by kids who grow up in such an organic environment.
One day Uncle came in from the plowing early. The mule ... perhaps as ancient as his owner .... wasn't doing well. Before the end of the day the mule collapsed, landing on top of the man who loved him so. Uncle succombed to being stuck in bed with a broken hip.
Coincidentally his wife of about 80 years was not far beyond him. It wasn't so sad. It was just the way it should be. A farmer ... his wife ... and a cherished mule. It is worth mention that the wife had lived every day of her life in this same house, from birth until her death almost 100 years later.
For decades that little girl wondered if they put shoes on her Uncle when they buried him in Sand Hill Cemetery. It took those same decades to figured out his knowledge about the Indians was because he had to have been one himself. In reviewing her memories she realized that his feet were equally as huge as those story provoking barefoot Indian prints in the sand. Surely he was an Indian first, strawberry farmer next.
... and that's the story of one unofficial Arrowhead Trail Loop that took 10 years to walk, and decades to figure out.
About the cache .... a simple traditional hide on the Arrowhead Loop Trail at the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. Hiking, biking, or horse-back riding are encouraged at this Preserve. You may want to wear shoes and forego the barefoot adventure.
Visiting during the changing seasons of the year never gets old, but it can wear you out if you're not in the best of shape.
If you are here for the first time please grab a trail map at the beginning. It will help you to know where the boundaries of the Open Space are. Please stay within the boundaries.
Please be aware of and respect the rules of the OSP. Check out the information bulletin board at the trailhead outof the parking lot before your hike. Bring adequate drinking water for everyone in your party.
- Hours are 7:am to Sunset
- Parking and use of the park is Free.
- NO DOGS ALLOWED!
- Bikes and Horses share the trail with hikers / joggers.
Be Careful! Be Aware!
As typical for California hiking you may encounter
SNAKES! TICKS!
POISON OAK! STICKERS!
THORNS! SLIPPERY SLOPES!
You may, in this OSP, encounter cattle also.
Cache is rather straight-forward ....along fence line.