Rain. Surprise! Surprise!

I stopped at the place where Andrew and I shot the deer, and there in the alder tree is our name and date still visible, carved into the bark of the tree. Again, next to Walker Gulch our name is carved, a silent sentential watching the place of our memories.

Rather than rush through life from experience to experience and only enjoying the time with one sense, I want to try to give each place the time it needs. I want to not only see something, I want to hear, taste, touch, and smell the experience.

Last night when I arrived it started to rain. Ladd Road had washed out and so I had to walk about a ½ mile if I were to visit the bend in the river. Just after I started walking a rainbow appeared over the top of my destination and I felt that I had made the correct choice in visiting this special place. By the time I had got back the rain had stopped and I had made the decision to spend the night here rather than driving and finding a motel. I took stock of what I had and found that I had a lawn chair (bed), a poncho (tent), and a fleece blanket (sleeping bag). Everything except fire, of which I hurriedly started. I was cozy, warm, and dry until it started raining at about 2:00 am. I had to get up about every 45 minutes to put more wood on the fire. I got into the car and then I really got cold. I didn’t start the car as I wanted to see how long it would take me to warm up in the absence of a fire. When I woke up at 6:30 I was still somewhat cold so I sat in the car with the heater going until I warmed up enough to restart the fire. When I took a walk this morning and discovered that two deer had ventured in sight of the car and then turned back the direction that they had come.