By Meg Butterworth
If you’re adept at map reading, directionally proficient and are a challenge seeker, then the corn maze at Bob’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in Snohomish is the place for you this fall!
I am none of these so needless to say, I found myself out of my element. To be clear, Bob’s Pumpkin Patch has two corn mazes visitors can choose from, the Kid Maze and the Big Maze. Being a novice corn maze goer, I really had no idea what I was in store for. Still, I did have the sense to ask the cashier when purchasing our tickets whether the big maze was suitable for our group of four five to eight-year olds. She reassuringly replied, “Oh yeah, my five-year old does it all the time. You’ll be fine!”
After sharing a quick laugh and feeling silly for even asking the question, she proceeded to direct us to the Big Maze. Any sense of ease I may have felt quickly vanished as I followed her hand a quarter mile down the hill past the pony ride and one of several large pumpkin patches that make up the farm’s thirty acres of patches, across the road to a TEN ACRE corn field with stalks at least ten feet high. Ten Acres! I looked wistfully at the significantly smaller Kid Maze just a few yards away with its cute scarecrows and haystacks and wondered if I just purchased a ticket to Hell.
Taking a deep breath, I mustered up whatever excitement I could feign and gathered our group to make the trek to the Big Maze. The kids skipped and laughed, giddy with anticipation as my friend and I treaded warily behind, cracking nervous jokes about what awaited us. As soon as we stepped foot over the “Start” line I knew I would have little to contribute. The kids, confident that they could outsmart the maze, ran ahead, while I kept an eye on the sky above to avoid feeling extreme claustrophobia from the wall of corn stalks surrounding me. In a vain attempt to feel in control, I kept track in my head of every turn we made, but gave up after only five minutes. The kids had the map so what good would my efforts do? “This way, this way!” they kept shouting back to us. We stopped several times to decipher where we were on the map which featured a photo with an aerial view of the maze where you could clearly see “Bob’s Corn & Pumpkin Farm” accompanied by a large ear of corn neatly inscribed into the stalks. Were we in the base of the ear of corn or were we walking around the arc of the letter “a” in “Farm?” Or were we no where near the letters and just going around in circles in some far off corner of the maze?
We passed other groups of maze goers all of whom looked just as befuddled as we did (which I secretly took comfort in). As the minutes wore on all excitement and conviction the kids had felt was steadily waning. Impatience and snippiness grew. Even the five-year old in our group looked up to me with round eyes and asked, “Are we going to die?” After nearly an hour of feeling like lab rats we crossed paths with a family whose leader, the mother I presumed, seemed to be well fit for the job. With pen in hand and a determined look in her eyes she tracked their every turn on the map. Brilliant! Everyone in her group seemed to wait attentively for her directions. We aligned ourselves quickly and kept our mouths shut, trying not to be an annoyance. We were like a platoon, looking to our Lieutenant to get us out of this damn jungle maze alive.
With cries of joy, our fearless leader successfully guided us to…wait for it…the Halfway Point! Yes, after an hour that’s as far as we got. Thankfully, there was an exit that was meant to lead folks to one of the fifteen fire pits on the perimeter of the maze (which, FYI can be reserved for private parties and gatherings). Tired and weary, we took advantage of the opportunity and made our escape. Out into the spacious field and wide open sky overhead! We shared a communal sigh of relief. Embarrassed you ask? Disappointed that we did not conquer the maze and make it to the end? Heck No! We got as far as we could, found a way out and made it home in time for a soccer game. No regrets here.
Pumpkin Pickers
Despite my harrowing experience, I would encourage others to test their corn maze skills at Bob’s. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time, track your path on the map and stay focused. Be sure to fuel up with one of Bob’s delicious home made donuts and cider beforehand and of course take time to pick a pumpkin while you’re there. There are plenty to choose from!
About the Author
Meg Butterworth lives in NW Seattle with her husband and two children. She’s been a part of the PEPS community for almost nine years. WOW! When she has a couple of kid free hours she enjoys writing, exploring Seattle, and enjoying a couple of beverages with her life line of fellow Mom friends.
