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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.”

 

                     

  BY LOREN MOORE

COPYRIGHT 2004

 

LOREN

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