socialize. When I got back I made sure to try my new washboard and tub. It wasn’t a washing machine, but it worked a hundred times better than washing clothes with my hands in a seven gallon pale. All in all things were beginning to really shape up and take form around the camp. I was becoming more confident in myself and my abilities with each day that passed by. The world around me was falling apart, but I was not going to succumb to its heavy blows. I may not have been in the best position of my life, but I was in a better position than most. And I was doing it on my own.
Chapter Five
Strength from Solitude
“Be of good courage, and
he shall strengthen your heart…”
- Psalms 31:24
As the summer continued, I found myself becoming more and more comfortable with my surroundings. My main job was the upkeep of the camp, and making sound preparations for the winter. Though things were going well, I couldn’t help but feel the growing presence of loneliness now lurking in my mind like a shadow. I had to preserve gas and also knew I couldn’t continue making trips into town when winter came. So I had to deal with this now before it took over and caused me to go mad. Keeping busy was the top priority in this fight. I had to make sure I was continuously doing something, and not sitting around pondering on being alone. Chores weren’t enough though. I had to try and have fun too. I never thought I’d say it, but fishing and swimming wasn’t enough. I decided to take more day trips into the mountains, and even go on a camping trip. Sounded funny as I was already camping, but maybe a more rugged experience is what I needed right now. There was that structure I had seen in the spring on one of my day hikes. I decided I would go and see if I had a distant neighbor. It was only a day’s hike away anyhow. Besides, if someone was living there, I would have a little more social interaction.
I packed very light for the trip. I brought a tarp in case I needed a shelter for the night and a wool blanket. I made a few sandwiches for the trip, and also brought a hand line in case I found an opportunity for some wild brook trout. There were a lot of brooks and streams here that I found offered plenty of food for anyone willing to work for it. I threw on my pack, grabbed my rifle, and started out on my journey. By late morning I crested the small hill that I had seen the structure from in the spring. Being a nice open area, I had an early lunch here before taking compass readings and wandering off into the woods. Peanut butter and jelly was on the menu for the next couple of days. I scanned the mountain the structure was on while I ate lunch. The mountaintop was completely covered with pines, and there appeared to be a rock ledge on the northeast slope. The structure lay not too far down from the pine covered peak, and I could see a large rock the near the peak that served as a nice lookout. I wondered if there were any roads or trails that led to the structure. None were visible from my point of view, but I would conduct a reconnaissance of the area when I got there. I took a long look at the structure, at least what you could see of it, and could tell it was a cabin. It appeared to be small, but I was quite a ways from it so who knows. It was definitely going to take me the afternoon to get there. I figured I’d be at the cabin by three o’clock or so. That is as long as everything went good. I wasn't sure what obstacles I would come across along the way.
After lunch I took a compass bearing and studied what I could see of the route ahead of me. A northwesterly route would see me to the cabin. It was the most direct route, but also appeared to be the easiest as the southern slope of the mountain looked to be a little more gradual than the other sides. I placed the binoculars back in my pack and started off
Chapter Five
Strength from Solitude
“Be of good courage, and
he shall strengthen your heart…”
- Psalms 31:24
As the summer continued, I found myself becoming more and more comfortable with my surroundings. My main job was the upkeep of the camp, and making sound preparations for the winter. Though things were going well, I couldn’t help but feel the growing presence of loneliness now lurking in my mind like a shadow. I had to preserve gas and also knew I couldn’t continue making trips into town when winter came. So I had to deal with this now before it took over and caused me to go mad. Keeping busy was the top priority in this fight. I had to make sure I was continuously doing something, and not sitting around pondering on being alone. Chores weren’t enough though. I had to try and have fun too. I never thought I’d say it, but fishing and swimming wasn’t enough. I decided to take more day trips into the mountains, and even go on a camping trip. Sounded funny as I was already camping, but maybe a more rugged experience is what I needed right now. There was that structure I had seen in the spring on one of my day hikes. I decided I would go and see if I had a distant neighbor. It was only a day’s hike away anyhow. Besides, if someone was living there, I would have a little more social interaction.
I packed very light for the trip. I brought a tarp in case I needed a shelter for the night and a wool blanket. I made a few sandwiches for the trip, and also brought a hand line in case I found an opportunity for some wild brook trout. There were a lot of brooks and streams here that I found offered plenty of food for anyone willing to work for it. I threw on my pack, grabbed my rifle, and started out on my journey. By late morning I crested the small hill that I had seen the structure from in the spring. Being a nice open area, I had an early lunch here before taking compass readings and wandering off into the woods. Peanut butter and jelly was on the menu for the next couple of days. I scanned the mountain the structure was on while I ate lunch. The mountaintop was completely covered with pines, and there appeared to be a rock ledge on the northeast slope. The structure lay not too far down from the pine covered peak, and I could see a large rock the near the peak that served as a nice lookout. I wondered if there were any roads or trails that led to the structure. None were visible from my point of view, but I would conduct a reconnaissance of the area when I got there. I took a long look at the structure, at least what you could see of it, and could tell it was a cabin. It appeared to be small, but I was quite a ways from it so who knows. It was definitely going to take me the afternoon to get there. I figured I’d be at the cabin by three o’clock or so. That is as long as everything went good. I wasn't sure what obstacles I would come across along the way.
After lunch I took a compass bearing and studied what I could see of the route ahead of me. A northwesterly route would see me to the cabin. It was the most direct route, but also appeared to be the easiest as the southern slope of the mountain looked to be a little more gradual than the other sides. I placed the binoculars back in my pack and started off
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