After a good night's sleep we awoke in the forest. It was peaceful. Here's my dad with the rest of the story...
Friday, Day 5 – A Walk Out of the Park
I think we slept well, at least I don’t remember waking up during the night or even hearing Fred snore. I had thought about sleeping under the stars but I was too tired to even make that decision. Fred and I crawled out of the tent to another beautiful day. Katie was already up, sitting on a log reading her book, enjoying her sneakers. Christina was sound asleep under the stars, Grace in her tent and Steve had already left to find Dale. When the kids were young I used to wake them with a serenade such as “rise and shine my little daffodils”; I tried it again and it met with the same groaning reaction – “go away Dad” usually followed by a flying object. It was about 7:00 AM and none of us were in any great hurry. It had been a great trip and I had mixed feelings about it ending. I knew that the parking lot meant no more heavy pack, decent food, a shower and a comfortable bed. But it also meant the end of this incredible adventure; one that I dreamed about but now realized that even in my wildest dream couldn’t begin to imagine what it was really like.
We all slowly went about our morning routines: coffee, stretching, emptying our tents, that walk in the woods or to the open-air facilities. Breakfast was still optional and given the choice between an MRE or the very real possibility of real food only 3 miles away; well you figure it out. Steve finally returned with Dale and all was well. I was munching on one of Fred’s Power Bars and had set it down to tie my boots when this giagundic chipmunk decided he wanted to share it. This guy was more like a squirrel-munk. When I chased him away he became rather indignant and sat under a branch scolding me. Steve saw the opportunity for fresh meat and was about to go after it with a hiking pole when the sisters intervened with “you kill it you eat it”. Now that would hardly stop the brother.
We packed up for the last time, each of us trying to locate our lost piece of gear. I was sure I lost my cell phone and a black bag for the crampons. The phone later turned up but not the bag. Katie is still missing a pair of gaiters but she did have her comfy sneakers for the last 3 miles. We never did find a good way to stuff sleeping bags other than just stuff them. My one remaining luxury was a clean tee shirt. With everything packed and loaded up, it was time for our walk out of the park.
Our packs were lighter and we were hiking down a slight grade and there may have been a bounce in our step. I recall taking time to marvel at the scenery; the tall trees, the mountain, the river on our right, the variety of wild flowers; I would miss this place and think of it often. We passed other climbers and day hikers heading up; they were bright and full of anticipation, we were grubby and full of memories. We crossed the stream a few times, climbed around the fallen trees; came to the spot where Katie uttered that memorable line about the summit, “that’s not so big”; it was an enjoyable walk but it seemed to be getting longer rather than shorter. Hikers told us only about another half mile to go. Then we heard “Hi Mom, we came looking for you guys”. It was Seamus and Matt and those had to be the sweetest words Katie had heard in a long time. He nearly knocked us over with his hugs. “Hi Mr. Fred, Hi Ofa, we came looking for you guys.” Talk about a real pick-me-up, the last half mile was a piece-a-cake. Matt thankfully took Katie’s pack and with it much of the pressure and stress off her knee. With shortened hiking poles Seamus led us out of the park.
Kathy, Arlene and Matt welcomed us with bananas, grapes, juice, milk and sandwiches and the offer of lunch down the road. A perfect ending to a perfect adventure.
Final Thoughts...
I can remember that I was in pain but I can’t experience the pain again.
I can remember that I was exhausted but I can’t experience the exhaustion again.
The beauty is that I can remember the excitement and thrill of many of the moments on the mountain and I can still experience those same choked-up feelings. There is no way to sum up this whole experience. It was difficult, it was exhausting, it was painful. It was thrilling, it was spectacular, it was the best experience a Dad could have with his kids. During our descent, Fred and I commented that this was a once-in-a-life-time experience; well maybe… but maybe not….
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