[at-l] Re: rough trails (my long story)

["Sam Teel" <steel@sfwmd.gov>]

Likewise, my childhood was filled with wandering.  I grew up in central
Alabama in the sixties and had more freedom than most adults have
today.  I'd like to share one of those wanderings with you.  Hit the
delete key now if you'd like, I won't be offended.  Heck, I won't even
know!

It was mid summer, I was about 12,  and my Mom, Dad and I had gone to
visit my uncle John Samuel's on his old home place called "Green Acres"
(no kidding). Uncle John and my aunt used the old farm as a summer house
and it had not been worked in twenty years.  It was located almost in
the exact center of the state and was a little over a square mile of
mixed hardwood forest.  There were old orchards and fields that were
overgrown with the passing years.  One of the best parts about Green
Acres was the fact that the pulp wood companies had bought all of the
land for dozens of miles around  place but had not started serious
logging. We were in the middle of Alabama wilderness.

When we arrived my aunt handed me a Colt Woodsman  .22 semi-automatic
pistol and a whole brick of ammo.  Now for those who might not know, a
brick contains 1000 rounds.  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
With a quick nod from my dad, I was off and running.  I had no food, no
water and was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers.  There was an old
red-dirt road leading away from the house with an embankment on one
side.  I been walking along quietly for about a half an hour or so when
I heard this loud rustling noise on the other side of the embankment.  I
eased up to the top of the rise and peeked over.  About fifteen feet
away was a flock of turkeys.  My dad had been hunting turkeys all his
life and had never killed one.  The temptation to shoot that gobbler was
almost irresistible, but I didn't.  It was not turkey season. And my Dad
would have been mad at such unsportsman like conduct.

I left the road and soon came upon a beaver pond. I thought that if I
was sneaky enough I might see a beaver working.  I slipped up to the
edge of the pond as quietly as possible.  About the time I got to the
water I heard this loud humming sound.  When I looked up, there was this
iridescent green humming bird right in front of my face.  Way cool!
Until he started darting at my eyes.  I ducked, and took a wild shot
with the 22.  The humming bird darted away for a second and took another
pass for my eyes.  Again I shot and missed.  Finally I realized what was
going on.  There must have been a nest nearby.  I walked away with only
a small taste of defeat at having been run off by a one ounce bird.

Maybe an hour later I walked into an old pear orchard.  By now I was a
bit hungry and thirsty.  It must have been around four or five o'clock.
I saw a pear that looked nearly ripe, almost at the top of a tree.
Thinking what a good shot I was, contrary to the evidence, I took
careful aim and tried to shoot that pear out of the tree.  Bang! Bang!
Bang! over and over again.  Stop, reload, bang, bang, bang.  I must have
fired, I kid you not, fifty rounds until, miracle of miracles, the pear
exploded into about eight or nine pieces.  I groveled around in that
dirt until I had eaten every piece of that hard fought for pear.  To
this day that was the best damn pear I ever ate.  Well satisfied;
onward.

Through deeper, darker woods I walked.  It became a bit spooky because
the old hardwood forest canopy kept out much of the light.  It was dark
and much quieter.  But hey, I was nearly a grown man.  I would be
thirteen in a few weeks.  I'd been hunting nearly all my life, what was
I scared of?  Onward I walked.  When I was satisfied that I had overcome
my silly fear and hunger and thirst had grown stronger I decided to head
back to the farm house.

I knew I'd been walking away from the house for a couple or three hours
so I thought I'd get back just before dark.  After an hour or so of
walking and not finding the orchard, the beaver pond or any road, I
realized I was lost.  I did not panic.  I'd been lost before, just not
in woods quite this big.  No big deal. I occasionally fired a round or
two in case my old man might be in hearing range, just to let him know I
was ok and where, more or less, I was.  I never fired three rounds
because I wasn't about to go calling for help.

I figured that I had only one shot at getting back before dark so I gave
it my best guess as to which way was home and started walking.   When it
started getting really dark I knew I'd guessed wrong.  Crap, damn, oh
Lordy what a mess.  I decided to find a big old tree, lean against it
and wait until sunup.

I heard more noises in those woods than I had ever heard in my life.
Owls, whip'o'wills, jorees, and what must have been bears or buffaloes
moving around in the leaves just behind my sleeping tree. Although, for
some reason,( must have been evil woods magic) I never saw any of those
bears or buffaloes.  I thought I saw men standing next to trees in the
distance, I was SURE of it.  I called out to them but they never
answered or moved.  They just stood there mocking my fear.  The wind
picked up.  Waves and waves moving through the trees.  Good! I thought,
I won't hear all this S*** around me.  Until the devil groaned.  The
skin all over my body decided that being somewhere else would be a good
thing and crawled around my flesh.  My eyes must have been three inches
in diameter, yet wanted to close and maybe pull my shirt over my head.
I had no pillows or covers to hide in!  A few seconds later the devil's
partner groaned too, yet he sounded a bit wooden.  Whew! It's just tree
limbs rubbing together.  I finally did get to sleep but what a terrible
night.

The next morning I woke at first light.  I decided that if I walked in
ONE DIRECTION, long enough I would absolutely come to a road.  I could
then get a ride to green acres. (they had no phone)  I again took my
best guess and started off.  I used the old boy scout navigation method
of finding a landmark in the distance, walking to it, then finding
another in the line of sight.  After a couple of hours I walked onto a
dirt road and recognized it as the one leading to Green Acres.  I really
long stepped it down the road that glad morning.

When I got to the farm house my Mom, Dad, aunt and uncle were sitting on
the porch having coffee and watching me walk up.  No one said a word
until I got on the steps when my old man said, "What took you so damn
long? I thought we were gonna have to come after you!"  My Mom was all
upset and worried but dad said, "Well, he hadn't been gone even a full
day!"

I ate a hikers breakfast that morning I can assure you.  And took a
baby's nap later!

Hope you enjoyed it,

Sam

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