An Awakening

Alan awoke to find himself enveloped within the dense green budding trees of the deep and expansive Virginia mountains. Oh, how he loved the smell of the woods in spring! Everything returning to life churned up a wondrous sense of renewal in himself. Only out here in the wilderness did he have a sense of being grounded, aside from his dull existence among the monotony and relentless drive of man. This weekend escape was just that- a blissful opportunity to abscond from the strains of life, and after months of planning and waiting, it was here. 

The dozen or so acquaintances and him had diligently planned their trip. While Alan appreciated their planning, deep down within his soul he knew he didn’t care about the others. He purposely didn’t appreciate their company. The tempestuous seas of life had beaten him against the jagged shores of life repeatedly, and all he knew with certainty was that he wanted to get away from it all- them all. Even if it was for a weekend. 

That first night in the woods he slept as soundly as if he was back in the arms of his mother rocking him with not a care in the world. The lullaby of the whippoorwills, the rhythmic hum of the nearby stream, and the occasional caress of the wind against his bedroll created the ultimate cocoon by which he slept so peacefully. One cannot fail to mention the strenuous three miles they hiked leading up to dusk that helped bring on the ever-welcoming rest. It was a healthy sleep for sure.

The following morning Alan awoke with the rest, ate breakfast, packed and hesitantly suppressed his eagerness to hit the trail. Waiting for the others straggling to get ready, he stared off down the trail that they were about to venture on for a moment, then he turned his gaze off into the wilderness that seemed to never end in a green and black abyss. It seemed to be calling him.

“What if I just stepped off the trail and walked into the woods and kept going?” he thought to himself. “What an adventure that would be. No marked trail to guide me. I would just keep going until I maybe come upon a river. Then do I turn right or left? Or do I cross? I would be miles from everyone. Life would-,” he was startled back to reality as the group was ready to step off down the trail. The trail that led back to their vehicles, to home, to modern reality.

Onward, they continued hiking. Over time with the group walking at various paces, they spanned a mile or so. Alan remained in the rear. He dreaded each turn, each landmark that signified they were closer to their destination- the car to take them home. Occasionally, he would stop walking and just listen to the birds, or the silence, letting the others walk on ahead. The silence was jarring. He forgot the last time he had heard absolutely nothing. The vacuum was complete, until he realized he had to keep moving to catch up to the group. He was holding them back. Starting forwards to catch up, all he heard was his breathing, pant legs rubbing, and a new squeaking sound from his pack signaling something was jostled inside as he picked up his pace. 

The day grew into late afternoon, when Alan had still not caught up with his group. “They couldn’t have gotten this far ahead of me,” he said aloud. 

Pulling out a map, he recognized a split in the trail a mile or so back. He hadn’t noticed it while walking. The trail markers were the same where he was, or so he thought. Looking down ahead on the trail where he was headed, he turned and looked back at where he had come from. Turning around, he headed back in the opposite direction. He noticed how the trail, even though he had already passed that way had a completely different appearance walking down it this way.

He had not seen another person in over two hours and he was feeling hungry. He stopped and threw off his pack to grab a snack. The moment his pack hit the ground he noticed the quiet around him. He stood up and peered all throughout the trees and underbrush. Further up the mountain side he heard some rustling among the brush. A squirrel was busy, probably gathering nuts he thought. 

As he ate he heard another sound. Rustling, but this time with a much heavier step. A black, dense shadow seemed to emerge from the abyss of the woods. He froze in place as a black bear appeared. She was headed straight towards him. What was he to do? He had never seen a bear in the wild before. No one was around to help. He decided to pick up his backpack, and slinging it over his back, he kept his eyes peeled on the bear. The sudden sound seemed to spook her. She turned parallel to the trail and kept walking steadily on. Alan thought, “such a beautiful creature.”

Hurrying back up the trail, he realized the beauty of his surroundings more intensely than ever before. The sounds, or lack of reverberated in his mind. The colors of the mountain and sky meshed together like when you stand too close to an oil painting, and only when you take a step or two back does the scene become all too clear. He felt each breath he took with a new awareness that he never had before. Did he miss his fellow hikers? On one hand he did, but on the other he did not. Who needs their fellow man? He looked down at the trail and thought, “Well for one thing, another man created this trail.” He kept moving down the trail.

Left to his own thoughts, Alan began thinking more and more as he walked. “It was others who helped him plan this trip. It was others who built this trail and maintained it. What was life without others? Sure, being along was nice for an afternoon, but-,” his stream of thoughts was cut off as he heard someone calling his name. Up ahead in the dimming light of the setting sun he caught the friendly waving of arms as he was recognized. He caught himself smiling for the first time this weekend, and quickened his pace.