So with the story out of the way, here is what I experienced this year. I "discovered" places new to me that I can't wait to visit again. I found tiny creeks with cedars drooping close to the water and salmon everywhere I looked. I camped with a good friend and got to know him much better. We shared delicious meals cooked by a camp fire, saw gorgeous scenery, and fished somewhat unsuccessfully for said salmon in pouring rain. And I know I loved every minute of it. I took my kids out to experience God's creation first hand, to try to explain what it means to be part of the food chain. I found a fresh badger den with his footprints clearly visible. I saw turkeys come down from their roosts, heard their yelps, and scared the dickens out of a few of them that didn't know I was there. I watched pileated woodpeckers hammer out holes in dead beeches. I made venison chili over an open fire to share with friends at deer camp. I watched the sun rise, the moon set, the sun set, and moon rise. I played hide-and-seek with a deer circling a huge spruce tree. I watched a flock of easily a thousand grackles move through the woods feeding and moving, rolling along like a wave. I listened to owls, saw cranes circling several thousand feet up, watched formations of ducks and geese flying south. I spent mornings sitting in cool green moss surrounded by mist, waiting. Always waiting, listening, looking, and paying attention. I took an active part in providing my family with meat. Now it's only 10 more months until I can do it again.
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