If you don’t feel like reading the story I am telling here, just flip thru the pictures. You will be able to figure it out. It wasn’t a good day for Genie :-) I used larger type so it would be easier should you desire.
Sunday was our day to take our grandson, Henry...a freshman at James Madison University...and two of his friends on a hike. We’d been planning this for weeks, and then the yucky weather hit us with a vengeance. This is a picture of our destination borrowed from the internet...High Knob Fire Tower located at 4,050 feet at the WV-VA line. There were two ways to go...the RECOMMENDED and easy 1.3 mile way along the nice fire road, or the other treacherous 3.5 miler straight up hill all the way. Due to all the fog, we could not find the point of entry for the fire road (we drove 50 miles or so back and forth up and down the mountain looking for it) so ended up opting for the toughie. Stupid me, I did not want to be an "old granny, Baga" for my grandson, so I decided to make the “Forced March" much to the horror and concern of my husband who knew what was ahead and that I was going to be in for big time trouble. Rain, fog, slippery wet leaves, and trees down did not help. Bud says I made it 3/4 of a mile before my disaster, but to me it felt like five miles of horror.
O.K., Genie...just follow the "Yellow Marked Road”, and you will reach the Emerald City aka Fire Tower.
Bud was just puttering along waiting patiently for me to huff and puff it up the mountain.
I had given my Leike hiking poles to the boys, so I was left using my pink flowered cane..hehehe. Well, that was definitely not doing the job, so Buddy gave me his real hiking stick leaving him stickless. I was moving very slowly, and you could probably hear me huffing and puffing a mile away.
The further I hoofed, the more exhausted I got...plus my back was starting to yell at me...”Stop, woman, or you are going to pay the penalty for not listening to me." That would mean nerve spasms and lying out in the middle of the wet woods with out a heating pad or a bed. I was heading for this broken off tree knowing it would provide me a place to lean that was not sopping wet.
Selfie Time
Well, as you can see, I ALMOST made it to the tree but not quite. My feet went out from under me and plunk...down I went. Luckily I missed a huge broken branch and fell into the wet leaves and dirt. My rule for falls is to not move, access the damage, and then slowly come up knees first and the rest of me afterwards...very slowly.
Selfie Retatke
After I saw that grim look on my face, I decided to look at the hilarity and stupidity of my situation and just laugh at myself thinking...When are you going to learn, Genie, that you can no longer do the things you used to do? Grow up you silly lady, and face the music of life. Still, as my mother used to say...it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
I did try to play a bit with my iPhone while lying there in the yuck.
I got a real bang out of this one of my super duper hot pink hiking sneakers with the heavy duty treads on them. Well, hey sure did not do the job I paid the big bucks for them to do. I definitely needed my heavy old hiking boots this day.
I finally pulled myself up and headed back to the car with Buddy. I know he wanted to say...I told you so...but he was nice and said nothing other than cheer me on while helping to get me down that steep mountain. I managed to get this close up with a reflection in the rain droplet which made me happy. I have a hard time doing that.
Then I spotted this leaf that reminded me Halloween is coming before long. If only it had turned orange.
When the boys send me the pictures they took up at the fire tower - IF they ever send them... hehehe - I will post them. As it turned out, Bud and I sat in the car for about THREE hours waiting for them to make the trek up and back, and it was almost dark when they reappeared. Needless-to-say, I was frantic. No reception on the XM radio, so iPhone music on his and the books on mine saved the day. The guys had a great time...Me, not so great...and Bud, well, he can handle it all. He’s always having fun when he is in the woods. He's just an old mountain man. Still it was beautiful and peaceful out there where we would rather be than anywhere.
Luckily, today I am hurting bit, but I did not do any serious damage to the old back...just to the old grandma ego. Bud and I are hanging out with me on my heating pad watching ClinkEastwood in “Any Which Way You Can.” In retrospect, that could have been my motto for yesterday...Genie, just get out of this mess any which way you can.
"You’re lucky if you have someone who always tries to understand you, your mistakes, your anger, stupid decisions and never gets tired of it.”
~Tinku Razoria
