A LONG
WAYS TO THE HEART
IT WAS
IN APRIL WHEN JERRY AND I WENT TO WASHINGTON STATE TO GO TURKEY
HUNTING WITH HIS FAMILY. IT WAS MORE OF A FAMILY REUNION THAN
ANYTHING ELSE. I WASN’T A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY BUT IT GAVE ME A
CHANCE TO SEE A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
WE
SPENT THREE DAYS DRIVING UP THROUGH NEW MEXICO, COLORADO AND
WYOMING, THEN INTO IDAHO, OREGON AND WASHINGTON. WE WERE DRIVING
MY PICKUP WITH A CAMPER ON IT. I HAD THE BACK WINDOW OF THE CAB
OUT SO WE COULD CRAWL BACK INTO THE CAMPER WITHOUT STOPPING. BUT
THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
WHEN
IT CAME MEAL TIME, WE DIDN’T STOP. JERRY OR I WOULD CRAWL THROUGH
THE WINDOW INTO THE CAMPER AND MAKE LUNCH. THEN WE WOULD HAND THE
DRIVER A SANDWICH AND A CAN OF COKE-A-COLA AND WE WOULD EAT WHILE
WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD.
WHEN
WE GOT TO JERRY’S DAD’S HOUSE IN DARINGTON, WASHINGTON HIS BROTHER
AND SISTER WERE ALREADY THERE. SO PLANS WERE MADE TO LEAVE FOR
WHITE SALMON THE NEXT MORNING. WE WERE GOING TO HUNT IN THE
MOUNTAINS OUTSIDE OF WHITE SALMON.
THE
DRIVE UP THE COLUMBIA RIVER FROM PORTLAND TO WHITE SALMON IS
SURELY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DRIVES IN THE NATION. THERE WAS
STILL SNOW ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS AND JUST BELOW THE SNOW LINE,
IF YOU LOOKED VERY HARD YOU COULD SEE A WILD MOUNTAIN GOAT ONCE IN
A WHILE.
MELTING SNOW FALLING OFF THE SHEER ROCK CLIFFS MADE BRIGHT
RAINBOWS AS IT FELL ONTO THE JUST TURNING GREEN SLOPES BELOW THE
CLIFFS. OCCASIONALLY WE WOULD PASS A FRUIT ORCHARD WITH THE TREES
BURSTING INTO BLOOM FROM THEIR LONG WINTER’S SLEEP.
AS WE
DROVE INTO WHITE SALMON YOU COULD SEE THE BACK DROP OF SNOW TIPPED
MOUNTAINS THAT WE WERE TO BE HUNTING, WITH THEIR FEET RUNNING
RIGHT DOWN INTO TOWN. IN ALL MY YEARS OF HUNTING AND FISHING, I
DON’T BELIEVE I HAVE SEEN A MORE INSPIRING SIGHT. THE
ANTICIPATION OF THE HUNT WAS THROBBING IN MY CHEST.
AFTER
A SHORT STOP IN TOWN FOR LAST MINUTE SUPPLIES AND A QUICK LUNCH,
WE STARTED UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE WERE IN
AN ISOLATED WILDERNESS THAT COULD ONLY BELONG TO GOD AND THE
ANIMALS.
ON THE
WAY UP TO OUR CAMP SITE, WE SAW BRIGHT COLORED BIRDS DARTING
ACROSS THE ROAD IN FRONT OF US. ONCE WE EVEN HAD A TURKEY RUN
ACROSS THE ROAD BETWEEN THE LEAD PICKUP AND THE SECOND VEHICLE.
NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS STARTED ALL OUR HEARTS TO BEATING FASTER AND
LESS THEN 100 YARDS FROM OUR CAMP SITE, WE PASSED TWO DEER
STANDING IN A LITTLE GLADE. AS WE PASTED THEY LOOKED UP AND
WATCHED OUR CARAVAN GO BY. I COULD ALMOST HEAR THEM ASK, ”WHAT
ARE YOU DOING ON OUR MOUNTAIN?”
WE
WERE TO MAKE CAMP IN A FLAT GLADE AT A SWITCH BACK IN THE ROAD. A
SMALL STREAM OF MELTING SNOW RAN DOWN ONE SIDE OF THE GLADE AND
GATHERED IN A POOL BEFORE PLUNGING ON DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE. AS
FOUR VEHICLES STOPPED AND WE ALL STEPPED OUT INTO THE COOL
MOUNTAIN AIR, HEAVY WITH THE SMELL OF SPRING, ALL WE COULD HEAR
WAS THE TINKLE OF THE STREAM FALLING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
ON IT’S WAY TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER AND EVENTUALLY TO THE PACIFIC
OCEAN.
NO ONE
MADE A SOUND. WE ALL JUST STOOD THERE LETTING THE SPLENDOR OF
GOD’S CREATION SOAK INTO OUR SOULS.
THEN
RAY, JERRY’S DAD, SAID “WELL LET’S SET UP CAME.” WE PARKED THE
FOUR VEHICLES IN A ROUGH SQUARE AROUND THE OUTER EDGE OF THE
GLADE. THEN WE SET UP A TENT FOR RAY AND NANCY, JERRY’S MOM, TO
SLEEP IN AND DUG A FIRE PIT.
JERRY
AND HIS BROTHER TOOK A CHAIN SAW AND WENT TO A DEAD TREE ABOUT
TWENTY YARDS UP THE MOUNTAIN SLOPE FROM CAMP AND STARTED CUTTING
IT UP FOR FIRE WOOD.
AFTER
JERRY BROUGHT THE FIRST LOAD OF FIRE WOOD DOWN INTO CAMP, RAY
BUILT A FIRE IN THE FIRE PIT. THEN HE TOLD ME TO COME GO WITH
HIM. HE WANTED TO WALK ON UP THE ROAD A WAYS AND LISTEN FOR
TURKEYS GOBBLING AS THEY WENT TO ROOST. WE LISTENED UNTIL SUN
DOWN, BUT DIDN’T HEAR ANY. THEN WE WALKED BACK TO CAMP. BY THIS
TIME NANCY AND JERRY’S SISTER HAD SUPPER READY.
WE ATE
AND SAT AROUND THE CAMP FIRE FOR A WHILE VISITING. THEN WE ALL
TURNED IN. WE WOULD BE UP BEFORE DAYLIGHT IN THE MORNING.
THE
NEXT MORNING ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT JERRY AND I WERE
DRESSED AND READY FOR THE HUNT. WHEN WE CAME OUT OF OUR CAMPER WE
SAW THAT NANCY WAS ALREADY UP AND HAD A BIG POT OF COFFEE ON THE
FIRE. AS I SAT DOWN IN ONE OF THE FOLDING CHAIRS, NANCY HANDED ME
A PLATE WITH HAM AND EGGS ON IT.
AFTER
EVERY ONE HAD EATEN BREAKFAST, JERRY AND HIS DAD STRUCK OUT UP THE
ROAD. JERRY’S BROTHER CLIMBED UP THE MOUNTAIN PAST THE OLD DEAD
TREE. I DECIDED TO GO BACK DOWN THE ROAD TOWARDS THE SPOT WHERE
WE HAD SEEN THE TURKEY RUN ACROSS THE ROAD.
I
WOULD WALK FOR A WHILE, THEN SIT DOWN BESIDE THE ROAD AND LOOK
DOWN INTO THE VALLEY AND LISTEN. THEN I WOULD WALK A LITTLE
FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD AND SIT AGAIN. IT WAS WELL UP INTO THE
MORNING BY THIS TIME AND I WAS ABOUT READY TO TURN BACK, WHEN I
SAW A TURKEY RUN ACROSS THE ROAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. HE WENT
RIGHT UP THE STEEP SLOPE OF THE MOUNTAIN. I RAN DOWN TO WHERE HE
HAD CROSSED THE ROAD AND I COULD SEE HIM. HE WAS HAULING FREIGHT
STRAIGHT UP THAT MOUNTAIN.
I CUT
DOWN ON HIM WITH MY SHOTGUN, BAM, BAM, BAM. I ROLLED HIM OVER AND
FEATHERS FLEW BUT HE WAS STILL FLOPPING AROUND. I WAS TRYING TO
DIG OUT MORE SHELLS TO RELOAD WHEN THAT OLD TURKEY JUMPED UP INTO
THE AIR AND SET HIS WINGS. HE GLIDED RIGHT OVER ME AND ON DOWN
INTO THE VALLEY FOR A QUARTER OF A MILE.
I
STOOD THERE THINKING, BOY THAT IS ONE TOUGH OLD BIRD. THEN I
HEARD JERRY CALL, “WELL WERE IS HE?” JERRY, HIS DAD AND BROTHER
HAD HEARD ME SHOOT AND CAME TO SEE MY TURKEY. I POINTED OFF DOWN
THE VALLEY AND SAID HE WAS SOMEWHERE DOWN THERE.
I TOLD
THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND RAY SAID THAT WHEN THE TURKEY HAD SET
HIS WINGS LIKE THAT AND GLIDED DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN HE
WAS PROBABLY ALREADY DEAD.
JERRY’S BROTHER AND DAD CLIMBED DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND
SEARCHED THE VALLEY FOR AN HOUR WITH OUT FINDING MY TURKEY. JERRY
AND I SAT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WATCHING THEM. JERRY AND I
WOULD HAVE GONE WITH THEM BUT WE WEREN’T USE TO CLIMBING UP AND
DOWN A MOUNTAIN. IF WE HAD GONE DOWN INTO THAT VALLEY WE MIGHT
NOT BEEN ABLE TO CLIMB BACK OUT.
THE
FOUR OF US WALKED BACK TO CAMP AND NANCY AND JERRY’S SISTER HAD
LUNCH READY. WE SAT DOWN AND ATE, THEN NANCY ASKED MY WHAT
HAPPENED TO MY TURKEY.
I TOLD
THE STORY AGAIN ABOUT SEEING THE TURKEY RUN ACROSS THE ROAD AND UP
THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. HOW I COULD SEE HIS TAIL FEATHERS
FANNED OUT AND I HAD AIMED JUST UNDER THE TAIL FEATHERS AND SHOT
HIM THREE TIMES.
HE
STILL JUMPED UP AND FLEW DOWN INTO THE VALLEY. WE LOOKED FOR HIM
FOR AN HOUR, BUT NEVER DID FIND HIM. I KNEW HE MUST BE DEAD AND I
WAS JUST SICK ABOUT LOOSING HIM.
JERRY’S SISTER WAS SITTING THERE STARING INTO THE FIRE AS I TOLD
MY TAIL OF WOO. WHEN I FINISHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SOFTLY SAID,
“LOREN
IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE HEART FROM THAT END.”
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LOREN |
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GOTTA GO - SEE YA |
MUSIC . . . "TIPPERARY" BY GRANDPA FRANK |
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