"Nuff looking at this nonsense"... Shook my head and hit the off button. That's enough looking at the news, besides I had to get ready.....
A quick glance at the clock... 4:00 AM...some quick caculations..."15 minutes walking out the dirt rd...a hr and a half to the top...another half hr out the top....man I got to hurry if I want to be up a tree before first light.
Packed my stuff in my pack, couple apples, debated on whether or not to take water, because of the extra weight, but knew id want it once I got to the top. I strapped it all to my treestand, checked the edge on my broadheads, shouldered my pack and headed out the back door.
I got to the trail right on time, followed it up the mt till it fizzled out, then continued up, one bench at a time, I saw eyes to my left and stopped, it was a little buck, he knew I was there, but the brightness of my headlight probably kept him from knowing what I was..he finally figured whatever this glowing thing was he wanted no part of it and he bounded off, but wasnt overly spooked.
The mt began to rise steeply and I dug my feet in, And the sweat began to run.. It don't matter if its 15 degrees or 50 that mt will get things circulating... Heart ..lungs..and sweat.
Once on top I stopped, turned off my light, and took my pack off. I stood there cooling down.. " no stars ..must be cloudy"... I looked down into the valley. during the day you can see for miles, clean across the county to the far border, but now in the darkness all that could be seen was scattered twinkling lights of homes and farms for miles..
I took a long drink of water....glad I had brought it.....
I started out the top it's thick with laurel and a bit of a chore in the dark. I wondered if I'd find my spot, without GPS or compass, I had to thread my longbow through openings in the laurel, noticed once again, the amount of bear Scat and made a mental note of it, for the upcoming archery bear.
I found my spot about a 1/2 mile out the top, a short deer trail that crossed the top through the laurel...I changed out of my sweaty clothes and up the tree i went.
Darkness faded to light, and the mts came to life with it, small woodland birds, and a few crossing ravens, the ravens stay back in the mts. sometimes when there is a storm, they will venture to the front side of the mt, but mostly they stay back in....they like me prefer the seclusion of the mts...
The leaves were changing here more than the valley, golden yellows, and vivid reds, slowly, trickled down, creating little ticking sounds...and the stress of everyday life as a contractor, and the news of our day, slowly trickled away with them...
Wow...I needed this...
A ruffed grouse landed on a dead branch close to me and I sat dead still, knowing that in a matter of time he'd spy me, folks talk about the keen eyes of a turkey, but I think grouse are sharper.
I sat the morning, found myself looking out across the blue mts rising in the distance, wishing I had the time to explore..but I didnt.
About mid morning I climbed down without having seen a deer, somewhat common in the harsher environment, and less food of endless forest and mts... But it didn't matter, despite not seeing deer, the Mts had worked their magic...
Later that afternoon, driving to town I commented to my wife how relaxed, and laid back I felt..totally content.
Walking into Tractor supply to get chicken feed a young family was going in the door ahead of us, their little girl was singing, innocent, care free, and cute in her little dress , she skipped barefoot through the door. My wife and I both smiled...indeed... "Blessed are the children"
And right at that moment...I felt just as care free as she did.
