PREVIEW OF THE WILDERNESS TRAIL
I suppose that a lot of town folks don’t venture far
out of town because they are afraid of what’s out there.
I can’t even imagine living like that. Most folks live
out their lives in what I call a “quiet desperation”.
Every day is much the same as any other day. I believe that
a “rut” is a grave with both ends kicked out.
Why some people choose to live a life of boredom, is because
they don’t know any better way to live. I have always
felt that when my life is coming to an end, I didn’t
want to wish that I could have done something differently.
I remember as a kid, I heard the old folks say that they wished
that they could have done things differently, but now they
were too old to do it. I made up my mind that I was going
to get out there and “live” an adventure every
day. I wasn’t going to get old and wish I had moved
to Alaska and lived my dream. I wasn’t going to wait
until I was too old to walk the mountains and follow my dreams
up into the clouds. I have been lucky.
I have followed the dall rams into the clouds. I have hunted
the grizzly with a bow and arrow. I have hung the big moose
horns on my wall. I have built my dream log lodge overlooking
the Kenai River. I was lucky and found a wife who shares these
same dreams. I have found that a mountain kid can live in
peace in this unsettled world. I have come to know that “happiness”
is a result of pursuing your dreams.
It has been said that a person can live without much food
or water. They can live without warm clothes or the basic
comforts of a home, but they can’t live long without
hope.
I look back on my life and see a little kid with a head full
of dreams, and a heart full of hope. My dreams have been as
big as I could imagine them, and the anticipation of adventures,
have been beyond description. I have made mistakes as everyone
has. I have struggled, and gone through lean times. I have
battled long months with the pain of cancer and won, and I
have suffered personal loss that cut my heart out.
I have seen the mountains beyond the mountains, and I know
what’s there. I have the seen the wild creatures living
in their pristine valleys. I have felt the warm rain drops
on my face and had snow storms surround me with a soft, blanket
of white. I have stood in the Alpenglow of an Arctic sunset,
and I have bathed in the warm glow of the midnight sun.
I have seen the caribou herds that were scattered for miles
across the arctic tundra, and watched a big bull moose through
the fog, in an early morning lake. I have walked in the footsteps
of the ancient Trappers and the Mountain Men, and I have hiked
the unnamed trails of the Alaskan wilderness. I have reached
up to touch the Northern Lights and in doing so, I touched
the face of God.
Somehow, I managed to hang on to the wide-eyed enthusiasm
of a kid. I have been lucky enough to live the adventure that
most people can only dream about. The only thing I would have
done differently is “bought a better pair of boots”.
I suppose that the average person would be satisfied sitting
in their recliner and watching the outdoor channels on the
television. They seem satisfied just looking out of the window
at the rest of the world and wondering what is really going
on out there. Then there are a few of us that would rather
be “in” the adventure than just watching it go
by.
I like watching it snow, but I would much rather be out playing
in it. I enjoy watching a good hunting movie, but I would
much rather be out there doing it for myself. I never have
been much of a “spectator”, when I could be in
the game.
Just because I turned 66 this year, doesn’t mean that
I have to slow down on my activities. I will slow down when
they scatter my ashes in the Alaskan outback. Some of us will
never be satisfied unless we are in the thick of it. I guess
I’m a bit different than most folks. My priorities have
been born in the mountains, my Soul belongs to my God, my
Heart belongs to my Family, and my Spirit belongs to the Wind
and the Wilderness.
George"Bubba"Hunt walking "The Wilderness Trail".
The book
The Wilderness Trail can be purchased
HERE
