#146 Legend of A Trail Angel

Adapted from a story I wrote in January 2011

Before we get started, let’s all wish my mom - a faithful reader of my weekly posts - a great big happy birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Legend of A Trail Angel

Many, many years ago, in the coldest part of January, three friends went out for an overnight excursion. A trail located between two massive bodies of water is known as The Land Between the Lakes, where the bald eagles soar like angels in the sky.

The friends challenged one another to minimize their gear - to see how few items they truly needed for a cold winter’s night in the wilderness. Two of the friends decided to share gear, like their shelter and cooking gear, lightening their loads as much as possible. But poor planning soon rears its head.

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When preparing supper that evening the duo realized they had made a mistake. They brought no fuel canisters and two stoves - most of their food required cooking, yet couldn’t be cooked on an open fire. Each thought the other had brought fuel. The third friend was no help to them. He only brought foods that didn’t require cooking, but offered from what he had.

Moments later the third friend went off into the tree line to…..well, to pee. On the ground near where his right boot was planted was a rusty and faded fuel canister. It was the same kind his friends needed for their stoves. He picked it up and shook it. Hearing the sound of fuel (or possibly water) inside it, he gave it to his friends to try. The canister had enough fuel in it for the duo to cook supper that evening and breakfast the next morning.

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After breakfast, when they were done with the canister, one of them threw it back toward the area where it had been found. The friend who originally found the canister walked over to pick it up and placed it in a pocket of his pack. One of the others asked why he wanted to pack it out, as it goes against the idea of traveling light.

He reminded him that the trail gave them a gift last night and that someone needed to show thanks by giving something back. In this case, to leave the trail in better condition than they found it—and to continue doing so.

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Later in the day as they were hiking north to the trail head to complete their journey, they climbed a hill parallel to the lake. The sun was shining brightly behind them. The eyes of the third friend were focused on the trail as he imagined the view of the lake that awaited him on top.

He could see his shadow vividly on the trail. As he climbed the hill a big shadow covered his own. His eyes followed the bird shaped shadow gliding along the trail. He looked up to see the bird and realize that a bald eagle just passed between the sun and himself. “A great bald eagle, an angel of the skies, just cast its shadow on me!” he whispered excitedly to himself.

He asked his friends if they had seen the shadow, if it had hit them as well. Neither had seen the shadow or the eagle.

He wondered if that meant anything. If so, was it a good omen or bad? Surely it was this just a chance encounter. Then he thought of the empty fuel canister that had been rotting in the wilderness, but now is tucked in his pack.

Did the trail use the sky angel to show its gratitude for removing the decaying canister?

He really didn’t know, but chose to believe it was so.

                                                                                    Jason Durham - January 2011