As I drove along the main road back to my house, I was thinking about what a nice day it was and how everything just worked out today. This was my thought process until I turned off the road to drive along the dirt road to my house.
To my surprise, the gate that had always been open and unlocked was no longer open. It was actually closed and locked. I didn’t have a key. I often thought about this day happening. The owner promised this gate would never be locked. (I knew the day would come when this gate would be locked, but I didn’t think today would be that day.) Today is that day, and right now, the daylight is fading. This was the only access I had to my house. I called the number I had to get a key or the combination to the locks on the gate but I got an answering machine. I left a message but it’s Saturday evening. If this is a work number, I wouldn’t get a response until Monday at the earliest.
At this moment I was thinking I could either go back 40 miles to my brother’s place. I didn’t want to go back, besides, there’s work I needed to do, that’s why I’m here.
I start thinking about other alternatives. Fortunately, I had been coming to this area for the last 20 years or so, and this particular route I now use as access to get to my house is not the original route. There was another way I traveled to get to my property before I started building my small house in the woods, but that way is much longer. There was a lot of muddy patchds on that route and I have gotten stuck there in the past and had to walk a mile or 2 to get someone to pull me out. That’s not a great thing.
I’m going to have to attempt to navigate that route because it’s dusk and quickly getting dark. Being in the woods at night when you really don’t know where you are going is not the best situation to be in. You could find yourself lost at any moment.
At that moment something an older cousin of mine said to me a long time ago popped in my head. He said, “any time you’re in the woods, let somebody know you’re there because if nobody knows you’re there, noone will come looking for you.” That ranged so true right now because I’m thinking there is another route but I haven’t taken it in years. I don’t know if it’s still there. I don’t know how muddy it is. I don’t know if trees have fallen across the path as they often have, and I have to use my chainsaw in the dark, which luckily I have with me in the back of the truck. The last part of whole thing is, noone knows (locally) I’m out here. My brother’s know, but if I get lost or stuck they won’t know because cell coverage is spotty if at all. If they call and there is no answer they won’t worry right away because I spend weeks in the woods without coming out.
If I get stuck on the other path I’ll have to walk out in the dark. There are no neighbors within about 3 or 4 miles. There won’t be much traffic on the road because most of the few people in the area will be at home.
Right now, I’m glad I’ve been out here for quite a few years, and I’ve been driving and walking around a bit and I’m a little familiar.
I’m going to give it a try.
I’m not sure what I’ll find. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to get to my house. But first things first, at the entrance to the alternative path I stop and I shift my truck into 4-wheel drive. I don’t know what I’m going to be faced with. If I get stuck, and the truck is not in 4-wheel drive, it’s going to be more difficult to get free because it will be muddy. I’m going to start to sink in it a bit. My tires are getting to the point of needing to be replaced, so I don’t have the tread that I did when they were newer. So this is all a concern now because I’ll be traveling a questionable route in search of an alternative route to my house.
As the day turns to dusk, I start out slowly. I can still see where the path leads, It’s overgrown, but fairly clear, I can still see where I’m going, as my headlights light up the grasses and tall geowth in the middle of the path.
50 to 100 yards away, I see a small tree across the path. Looks like it’s been there for a while, I drive over it. It wasn’t big, so I didn’t bother to get out and move it; I continue on. The path ends and there’s a field of grass and a hunting stand to my left. I remember getting stuck right here years ago in my brother’s truck. I stick close to the edge because if I go on to the middle it could be muddy. (We had a heavy rain a few days ago, some areas are still muddy.)
I could see where the grass ended, and it looked as if there was no longer a path, but as I got closer, I looked left and saw the path continued; I followed. Approximately 20 yards ahead, another tree had fallen. It’s much bigger but there is an area to the left of it. I drive around it without stopping. My back Passenger tire caught the edge of the trunk, and I wondered if I had pinched my tire, which could have caused a flat. It’s one thing to possibly be lost in the woods at night, but yet a different thing to have a flat to go along with it.
I continue on and the path is actually disappearing, but I can still see approximately where I’m going so I continue on. A little further on the trail gets clear again and I start seeing the markings on the trees of the different companies that own the timber. I know I’m getting closer as I’m traveling in the direction of my property, so I’m feeling hopeful.
After a few more minutes traveling in the same direction I come upon the large oak tree I use as a marker for turning left that leads to my property. I breathe what seems to be a long held breath as I’m now confident I’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight and not on the seat of my truck.
I hadn’t taken this path for years, but I’m glad I did; it’s still here, clearly visible enough to guide me home.
Turning onto my property I feel good about being the curious person I am because my curiosity and memory of these woods allowed me to make my way home.
