Total & Complete


One hundred yards from returning to the parking lot, I encounter my first fellow hiker.  It’s 11:00 a.m. and I’ve been on the trail four hours.  I note that fellow hiker’s carrying a rusty handsaw, unlike the brand new, badass switchblade I’ve been wielding all morning.  Perhaps he’s intent on clearing the trail too.  When we meet, he doesn’t want to talk, but I won’t let that be.  “Howya doin’”, I snap, forcing eye contact.  When he finds out I just finished clearing the entire trail, he can’t hide his disappointment.  I just took all his fun away.  You gotta get up pretty early to out hike me. 

My four hours at Wildcat Mountain Preserve have been exhilarating in many ways.  First & foremost, my efforts to give back have felt fantastic.  Walking the three mile loop trail and clearing it of debris after a winter storm has brought a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, especially so since slippery conditions have made the effort extra challenging.  Exhilarating too has been the fact that I was so well prepared for today.   My backpack was efficiently loaded with the right equipment and I was dressed spot-on for the cold, wet day.  One of the joys of outdoor adventures is the preparation, and I must admit, the snow and the downed trees were easily contended with. 

Though I saw no one until I returned to the parking lot, I did not feel alone today.  I literally was following footsteps all morning long.  Someone had walked the same loop as I just the day before; their prints still lingering frozen in the snow.  It was amazing how closely the steps resembled my own.  Our pace, boot size, and tendency to swerve were in total sync. My guardian angel, perhaps.  In fact, at one point I did veer off course but my first inkling of trouble came when I noticed the lack of prints. 

Wildcat Mountain is a wonderful place full of natural beauty and diversity.  Odd though that it’s parking area is only twenty minutes from a McDonald’s drive-thru.  Still, it feels completely wild when sitting contemplatively upon one of its mountaintop boulders, or halfway down a stream-carved ravine.   At one of the mountain’s higher points, I did what I always do in the woods: stood still and listened.  And it was total and complete silence. 

Total and complete… that’s exactly how today felt.   Total satisfaction with completing a worthy and important task. 



SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE.
Location: Marshall, VA, USA

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