I was literally sitting in my campground just now cursing the rude people who started their generator at six a.m. I had just destroyed some firewood with an ax and yes maybe I had a beer or two. It’s been a highly stressful day. The Hungry Mountaineer needed a hop filled beverage to make her forget all her pains ( and not just from her aching back and feet after the seventeen mile hike)
I was replacing the propane tank inside my tent which I discovered on this trip is not at all a cold weather tent, when I heard some one yelling hello into my camp. I saw the guy in a truckers hat was lying two large pieces of wood on my very small wood pile and instantly I felt a little less grouchy.
Wood makes me happy.
Especially when the temps are getting into the teens at night and I am so unprepared as NOAA completely lied to me about what the lows should be in the eastern Sierra range on this trip!
I backed out of my tent just expecting to speak to someone who had too much wood and was donating a few pieces to myself.
Instead the guy started apologizing profusely, having no idea there was anyone camping in this spot(as we had been so quite; I guess me talking to my dog like a crazy person had gone unnoticed?) He explained to me his wife has ALS and can’t get out bed until she warmed up.
In about two seconds I felt so small. One minute ago I had been cursing these people for being so rude and now my heart was breaking for them.
I had hiked seventeen miles through a pristine alpine forest today and admired every moment of fall changing before me as the aspens turned from green to yellow to rust.
Some people don’t have the luxury to walk these trails like I can. I have been that disabled individual sitting on a porch in so much pain I couldn’t move and no amount of pain killers helped in any way.
I just felt terrible for being so judge mental this morning as I skipped among the trees, among the aspens in all their glories.
Some people have bigger problems than may show on the surface.
