TRAIL DAY 7 (CONT)
The shuttle dropped us off on a sunny day at Mountain Crossing where tents with gear were set up outside. I had already lost interest in the commercialism of the place so made my way past the tents to the trail which ran right through the compound.
It was a dry, crystal-clear day with not a cloud overhead. Blue sky and brown-out forest with golden light and an occasional patch of ice. Crisp and glorious.
We saw a few hikers on the way but it was an uneventful day of covering ground steadily, alone in nature with my dog, thoughts wafting in a gentle breeze as the senses picked up on the approach of spring with its new slant of light.
I remember well pitching my tent that night west of the trail in a clearing among tall spindly shoots of tiny thorns. The metadata of my 22,000-plus pictures tells me where each was taken and when, thus I can say I took a picture of Theo and my shadow stretched out beside tree shadows at 5:36 p.m.
Surely the days were getting longer and the adventure was pretty well underway. The seasons and the miles lay out ahead. Neel Gap, the first milestone and its disappointment were behind me. I would learn along the trail that mild unpleasantness would dissipate with the miles. The trail underfoot, the surrounding weather and scenery – that’s where you were – that was the moment of taking in the breath of life. Maybe some unpleasant exchange was not desirable but it happened as it does in life. Manage the situation the best you can when it arises and move on into the day, around the next corner, over the next mountain, into the weather of the moment, breathe deeply and thank God for health and the bounty of natural beauty.
Not many days went by that I didn’t thank God for the health in my body to be able to do what I was doing at age 74, soon to be 75. There was so much to be thankful for in the golden sun and slanting shadows.
As I recall this one moment in time, I think of the long parade of days yet to come – days I didn’t know then but do now. I think of the willing spirit in me that said “yes” to the call to come to the mountains and climb. What a gentle Calvary is this? All I was doing was saying “yes” and following the voice that beckoned me onward. I know now where it led.
I did a 360̊ video that Saturday night in abject silence, the light filtering through the trees, my beautiful dog at the start and finish, there, loyal, a big heart following his master. As I panned, I saw that someone had camped in this spot before for there was a ring of stone in the leaves, a fire pit like an archeological find left by some primitive race paying homage to the unseen. I did the same in that late evening sunlight.
Reverie passed, I set up my tent, cooked supper, tended to evening chores and turned in. A day of blessing. It was the 7th day and it was very good.
Day #7 Neel Gap > Poor Mountain 8.9 miles