PART ONE:
Sunday Afternoon- Simply Walking To Mordor
I sat alone in the car, watching the sun begin to set around 3 o’clock, and wondered if Fed would return that night. He’d been gone for four hours already, and all I could imagine were the fates which may have befallen him along the 5.6 miles of snowed-in forest road until he could reach the nearest outpost of civilization. I took another sip out of the bottle in which I’d been melting snow, and glanced back the hundred yards toward the bathroom. I decided that if I was going to dare its usage, I would need to go now, as the light would be all but completely gone in another fifteen minutes. Jacket wrapped tightly about me, and scarf nestled snugly around my neck, I climbed out of the car and trudged along the tracks of our failed escape from Cooper Lake. How did we get into this mess? I mused, eyes darting along the treeline for signs of a lupine presence. It seemed like such a good idea on Friday…
Friday Night- An Unexpected Journey
Flor, David, and I had taken the ferry back across the Puget Sound to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law in Seattle to catch up before they took off on their holiday road trip. After a harrowing adventure in the stairwell of their building (which eerily foreshadowed the weekend to come), we decided to grab a bite to eat at the BRGR Bar and talk about the minutiae of our everyday lives, as families separated by time and space are wont to do. It was a short walk to the restaurant, a nice little hole-in-the-wall with amazing hamburgers and laid-back atmosphere. We were seated, placed our orders, and began chatting about our upcoming holiday plans and travels. The last time I had spoken to them, they had intended to leave the following day on their interstate adventure, but had since pushed it back a week. Instead, my brother Fed was heading off into the mountains for a weekend of camping in the breathtaking beauty of the snow-laden Northern Cascades.
A decade ago, I would have jumped in and attempted my own invitation, but I’ve since matured… and married. Adventuresome whims were no longer an option. I voiced my manly consent at his woodsmasculine spirit, and took another sip of my Cider. His betrothed, Inuita, began discussing Christmas arrangements when Fed looked at me and asked, “So, you want to go camping in the mountains with me?” I turned to my wife to ask her permission to abandon her to the care of my family for the weekend while I took off to the deep wilderness for two and a half days of roughing it in freezing temperatures. I anticipated at least some objection, but before my eyes had even locked with hers, she’d said, “You can go.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her in Spanish, “I don’t want to drag you all the way up here, and then just leave, while you’re stuck at home with my family.”
“It’s fine,” she said, “Go. Have fun.”
I was now a little nervous at how easily I’d managed to secure for myself a vacation within in a vacation, and what it might cost me when I returned. “You’re really okay?” I asked again.
“If I wanted to go do something fun, I wouldn’t ask your permission, I’d just go and do it.”
“Really? I mean…”
“Go! Inuita and I will just go and do women things. Like look at men with muscles.”
“Whatever,” I sighed, and took another sip of my Cider. I turned back to Fed. “I’m in.”
We began discussing how woefully unprepared I was to undertake a winter expedition, as I’d only brought clothing appropriate for Seattle weather, not epic slogs through snowbanks to nights spent camping upon mountains. Inuita and Fed had extra gear, however, and as we finished up our meal, we finalized our plans for Saturday, with Tex Batmart being outfitted for survival by his benefactors. It had been a decade and a half since the last time I’d spent an evening out of doors on purpose, and about half that time since Fed and I had hung out for more than just an afternoon. I had permission (and encouragement) from my lovely wife of whom I am most definitely unworthy, and I believe Inuita was at least slightly relieved to send a Red Shirt along on the Away Mission. Fed and I made plans to meet up the following morning under the Viaduct, wished one another Good Evening, and parted company, he and Inuita to their apartment to begin packing for the morning, and myself, my wife, and the Minkey Man returning to the Ferry Terminal, and then on to The Island, where we’d pick up some food for the trip, and I’d attempt to overcome my excitement and get a good night’s sleep. That last part never really came to be.
Saturday Morning- Mist and Shadow
My morning began just shy of 6 a.m., as I gathered up my waterproof backpack filled with camping-appropriate consumables (granola, bottled water, and beef jerky), and willed myself to consciousness. I failed at the latter, but still managed to be ready to leave the house at the same time as my ride, and boarded the 7:05 ferry without incident. I texted Fed, as we’d agreed upon the night before, and let him know that I was on my way, to which he replied that he was running a little behind, and to just go ahead and walk up to his place. I confirmed, then sat back in my seat and sipped my vending machine coffee to watch the lights of Seattle slowly begin to appear through the murky dusk of the miserable predawn morning. It was actually heartachingly beautiful, watching the city of my birth appear in the interstices between the mysticism of magick and the majesty of science, languidly unfurling itself from behind the blinds of fog, and casually coming into existence from within the dream from whence it slumbered.
I could barely contain my excitement as I disembarked the vessel, and began hiking up the inclines of the Emerald City. Here was the adventure for which I’d been longing for years. This was the reason I left work: to live life and write of my survival. Having burned out and run on autopilot for a half-dozen years, I could feel the old me spring suddenly to life. I had no plan, aside from following Fed up a mountain. I remembered the sheer joy of spontaneity, of forgetting to overthink everything, and for a moment, finally living. Upon arriving, I picked up my pack, promised Inuita that we would come back in one piece (well, two…), and walked toward Fed’s car, ready for anything. We loaded up our gear, and headed East, toward the Snoqualmie Pass, leaving behind the worries of banality and facing head-on the promises and possibilities of Tomorrow.
To Be Continued….
In tomorrow’s exciting continuation, our Heroes arrive and the Adventure begins. Also, there are Murdertrees. Oh, so many Murdertrees.
-Tex