Soooo, here is a story for you. Since I've found myself with an abundance of free time lately, I've been dipping of to have adventures. So far all have been fun, and I've had great experiences with total strangers. That is, until recently. So my original plan was the Midtown Music fest in ATL, but at the last minute i changed my mind, grabbed my pack and shot up to the mountains early in the AM. 3hrs later, parked the car, grabbed my stuff and headed up a little used, mostly overgrown trail. I was wearing my camo cargo pants (because they're comfortable and durable) and my Orange LS
T-shirt (because its moister wicking and easy to spot). This isn't fashion advice, but its important later. Now im about 12mi into this 18mi loop, when i come across this nice mtn stream. I can hear, but not see, a small waterfall. I head off trail and up stream. After about 500ft i find the waterfall, it has a nice boulder lined pool with the sun beaming down onto the rocks. The sun has been up for about 2hrs so i figure its about 9:00-9:30ish. A quick time check, and yup...COFFEE TIME!! I drop my stuff, light the stove, brew up, and grab a nice slice of sun warmed rock. Now picture this... you get up early, drive 3hrs, walk up a mtn in time to see the sunrise. By the time you have a light coat of sweat, you find a waterfall and pool. You have a fresh cup of coffee, and nice sunbeam to lay in. You are far enough out in the woods, that you cant even hear, much less see any signs of humanity. Sounds nice right? It was, and i was having an almost perfect morning! I was just laying there enjoying being me. Im deep in thought when i hear some movement in the bushes, no big deal, happens all the time. But then i hear this voice " You know, theres NO hunting ALLOWED hear!" I look up and see two people walking out into the clearing. "Im sorry??" i say, as a question, not an apology. " Well sorry isn't going to cut it, because theres NO hunting hear". " I know that, thats why im hiking here. Its safer that way. You guys want some coffee?" I ask. "Well if you aren't hunting, why are you carrying a GUN then!?" I was carrying a gun. I was carrying my 9mm, on my belt, exposed in a hip holster. I am licensed to possess it in my home and vehicle, and carry it concealed. I hold this licensing in more than 5 states, and I always check local and park laws when heading out to make sure i don't violate anything.
" Im carrying it for protection", I reply. " You never know what kind of wackos you'll meet out in the woods". Now i should've explained that I've had my car broken into twice, been in a fist fight, interrupted what could've easily turned into a sexual assault, and had three teenagers ATTEMPT
to shake me down for money and equipment. All while walking in the woods. I should've explained all that to them, but i didn't because i felt no need to explain myself any further. I suppose i should take the time to describe my 2 guests. 1 man and 1 woman, in their 20's i figure. The girl had on a hoody and i guess they're called yoga pants (?) and flip flops She was caring a 16oz "store bottle" of water. The guy had on a tie-dye T-shirt, jean shorts, running shoes and was also carrying a 16oz "store bottle". Both were wearing enough Hemp jewelry to rig a yacht. Again this is not fashion advice, just observation. You can make any inferences you want, i know i did, and i immediately knew the type of conversation i was in for. I should also mention the guy was carrying a green pine bough as a walking stick, which he jabbed in my direction every time he spoke. No worries, we were about 20ft apart. Anyway back to the story. " Protection from WHAT?" "the vicious woodland creatures!?" The girl asked. "no" i said. " I have pepper spray for that.". "So let me get this straight, you would pepper spray an animal, but shoot a person" the guy said. "Well, maybe... Because the animal would be acting on instinct, but the person would be acting out of malice" was my reply. " So about that coffee, you guys want some?" I offer again, still managing to keep my tone polite, something my guests haven't been able to do since arriving. After hearing my statement about malice, the girl launches into this tirade about "people like you" blah blah " perpetuating violence" blah "love for all mankind" blah "corporate greed" blah blah " destroying wilderness". This went on for what was probably 5min, the whole time i just sat there listening, to confused to say anything. That is... until i heard the part about destroying wilderness being my fault some how. At this point Ive been snapped out of my serene and almost perfect morning. I've been verbally assaulted, and im ready to fight back. " So im destroying the wilderness!?" "Let me ask you something you daft fucking hippie!"" how did you get up to this pool? I followed along the stream bank leaving a minimal impact."" you 2 stamped up through the woods, and crashed through the brush." "Being that winter is coming, the vegetation wont recover until some time next SPRING!" " your boyfriend is carrying a fresh pine bough in his hand which he must have just ripped down because i can still smell the pitch!" " and when you're done with those water bottles what are you gonna do with them?" "corporate greed!? do you think your $30 all natural yoga pants are any less corporate then my $10 t-shirt!?" "you wanna talk about perpetuating violence!?" " since you2 came up here, you've been shouting at me, and this douche bag has been jabbing a stick in my direction, which can be perceived as a threat!" After hearing this, the guy takes a step forward, grasping the stick like a bat. Now he was still about 15 ft away but i felt it wouldnt be polite to let him continue down this path of destruction. I put both my hands up in a "stop" manner and said " I suggest you stay right there because im about lose my "love for all man kind"". " Are you threatening ME!?" he asked. " No more then you're threatening me" i said. "look, Im just trying to have a nice day hiking. Since you guys got here you've been nothing bot rude and confrontational. I've been nothing but polite and accommodating. I even offered you some coffee, TWICE!" By this time I've calmed down a bit and im using my head again. " im just gonna grab my stuff and go, but let tell you something about love for your fellow man. There are WOLVES out there who want nothing more then to kill you just for being you. You can love them all you want but there still gonna kill ya! and if it wasn't for guys like me to stand in their way they may already have." " OH! and what are you supposed to be the Shepard!?" the girl asked. By this time i hav collected my things and thrown my pack back on. "Well in this case i may have to be" i said. " Look you're at least 6mi in any direction from the nearest road. You have no map, and no compass, and the trail only gets harder to follow if you keep going the way you were." "Its going to get a lot hotter in the couple of hrs and you're almost out of water, why don't you take this" i say while offering them one of my Nalgenes. " we can just get water from the stream" says the girl,herself a little calmer " its a mountain spring im sure its clean enough". " from chemical contaminates maybe, but not from biological" i explained. " Look, that mtn top and ridge are north, which means if its on you left you traveling basically east, Right, west and behind you basically south, which is where the road, and im sure your car are." By this time the guy has lowered his stick and is just standing there looking around scratching his head. "by the way, im not the Shepard, im not the one to lead us, i leave that to well meaning, but sometimes misguided people such as yourselves" " Im more like the sheep dog, just doing what is asked of me." " have a nice day" i say while tossing them my map and a full Nalgene. As i walked away i heard one of them say something but i just kept walking.
So thats my story. The whole interaction was probably 20min. I only bring it up because i haven't stopped thinking about it. As soon as i got back to my car i wrote it down. This is something I've been noticing more and more. People preaching acceptance while at the same time condemning. People defending they're life style choice, while at the same time telling me mine is wrong. I don't think i have to wear tie-dye and stink like patchouli to enjoy the outdoors. I don't have to stage sit-ins and have drum circles, to show compassion for my fellow man. I jut simply say " if you need me ill be there". I will defend your beliefs even if i disagree with them. I wont give a drug addled bum the spare change out of my pocket because i don't want to! instead, i'll go build houses with habitat AGAIN, and every other sunday i'll go down to the homeless shelter and serve food, just like I've been doing for the past 3yrs. Don't lecture me about judging people for their beliefs or appearances, when the only reason you're lecturing me is because of what you PERCEIVE to be my beliefs based on my APPEARANCE. Im sorry, but its just getting old and tired!!! Im not PC, and i make no apologies for that. Im not trendy, hip, cool, alternative, new school, or old school. I just am. We can sit down have a cup of tea and just enjoy what limited time we have together. You never know, if you take the time to learn about someone who appears to be very different from you, you may find that you have a lot more in common then you thought. Since gaining this abundant (and soon to be gone) free time, I've met soooo many new people. I've learned so much from these total strangers just by opening my mind and my heart. Im not gonna stop doing what i do, or being who i am. But I'm starting to learn that most of us are all searching for the same thing, we're just going about it in different ways.
Im starting to ramble now so ill wrap it up.
I just wanted to share that event, not just because it made me mad, but also because it made me feel embarrassed at the way i dealt with it. I just wanted to launch it out there and see what you guys thought. Comments? observations? anyone else feel like this sometimes?
T-shirt (because its moister wicking and easy to spot). This isn't fashion advice, but its important later. Now im about 12mi into this 18mi loop, when i come across this nice mtn stream. I can hear, but not see, a small waterfall. I head off trail and up stream. After about 500ft i find the waterfall, it has a nice boulder lined pool with the sun beaming down onto the rocks. The sun has been up for about 2hrs so i figure its about 9:00-9:30ish. A quick time check, and yup...COFFEE TIME!! I drop my stuff, light the stove, brew up, and grab a nice slice of sun warmed rock. Now picture this... you get up early, drive 3hrs, walk up a mtn in time to see the sunrise. By the time you have a light coat of sweat, you find a waterfall and pool. You have a fresh cup of coffee, and nice sunbeam to lay in. You are far enough out in the woods, that you cant even hear, much less see any signs of humanity. Sounds nice right? It was, and i was having an almost perfect morning! I was just laying there enjoying being me. Im deep in thought when i hear some movement in the bushes, no big deal, happens all the time. But then i hear this voice " You know, theres NO hunting ALLOWED hear!" I look up and see two people walking out into the clearing. "Im sorry??" i say, as a question, not an apology. " Well sorry isn't going to cut it, because theres NO hunting hear". " I know that, thats why im hiking here. Its safer that way. You guys want some coffee?" I ask. "Well if you aren't hunting, why are you carrying a GUN then!?" I was carrying a gun. I was carrying my 9mm, on my belt, exposed in a hip holster. I am licensed to possess it in my home and vehicle, and carry it concealed. I hold this licensing in more than 5 states, and I always check local and park laws when heading out to make sure i don't violate anything.
" Im carrying it for protection", I reply. " You never know what kind of wackos you'll meet out in the woods". Now i should've explained that I've had my car broken into twice, been in a fist fight, interrupted what could've easily turned into a sexual assault, and had three teenagers ATTEMPT
to shake me down for money and equipment. All while walking in the woods. I should've explained all that to them, but i didn't because i felt no need to explain myself any further. I suppose i should take the time to describe my 2 guests. 1 man and 1 woman, in their 20's i figure. The girl had on a hoody and i guess they're called yoga pants (?) and flip flops She was caring a 16oz "store bottle" of water. The guy had on a tie-dye T-shirt, jean shorts, running shoes and was also carrying a 16oz "store bottle". Both were wearing enough Hemp jewelry to rig a yacht. Again this is not fashion advice, just observation. You can make any inferences you want, i know i did, and i immediately knew the type of conversation i was in for. I should also mention the guy was carrying a green pine bough as a walking stick, which he jabbed in my direction every time he spoke. No worries, we were about 20ft apart. Anyway back to the story. " Protection from WHAT?" "the vicious woodland creatures!?" The girl asked. "no" i said. " I have pepper spray for that.". "So let me get this straight, you would pepper spray an animal, but shoot a person" the guy said. "Well, maybe... Because the animal would be acting on instinct, but the person would be acting out of malice" was my reply. " So about that coffee, you guys want some?" I offer again, still managing to keep my tone polite, something my guests haven't been able to do since arriving. After hearing my statement about malice, the girl launches into this tirade about "people like you" blah blah " perpetuating violence" blah "love for all mankind" blah "corporate greed" blah blah " destroying wilderness". This went on for what was probably 5min, the whole time i just sat there listening, to confused to say anything. That is... until i heard the part about destroying wilderness being my fault some how. At this point Ive been snapped out of my serene and almost perfect morning. I've been verbally assaulted, and im ready to fight back. " So im destroying the wilderness!?" "Let me ask you something you daft fucking hippie!"" how did you get up to this pool? I followed along the stream bank leaving a minimal impact."" you 2 stamped up through the woods, and crashed through the brush." "Being that winter is coming, the vegetation wont recover until some time next SPRING!" " your boyfriend is carrying a fresh pine bough in his hand which he must have just ripped down because i can still smell the pitch!" " and when you're done with those water bottles what are you gonna do with them?" "corporate greed!? do you think your $30 all natural yoga pants are any less corporate then my $10 t-shirt!?" "you wanna talk about perpetuating violence!?" " since you2 came up here, you've been shouting at me, and this douche bag has been jabbing a stick in my direction, which can be perceived as a threat!" After hearing this, the guy takes a step forward, grasping the stick like a bat. Now he was still about 15 ft away but i felt it wouldnt be polite to let him continue down this path of destruction. I put both my hands up in a "stop" manner and said " I suggest you stay right there because im about lose my "love for all man kind"". " Are you threatening ME!?" he asked. " No more then you're threatening me" i said. "look, Im just trying to have a nice day hiking. Since you guys got here you've been nothing bot rude and confrontational. I've been nothing but polite and accommodating. I even offered you some coffee, TWICE!" By this time I've calmed down a bit and im using my head again. " im just gonna grab my stuff and go, but let tell you something about love for your fellow man. There are WOLVES out there who want nothing more then to kill you just for being you. You can love them all you want but there still gonna kill ya! and if it wasn't for guys like me to stand in their way they may already have." " OH! and what are you supposed to be the Shepard!?" the girl asked. By this time i hav collected my things and thrown my pack back on. "Well in this case i may have to be" i said. " Look you're at least 6mi in any direction from the nearest road. You have no map, and no compass, and the trail only gets harder to follow if you keep going the way you were." "Its going to get a lot hotter in the couple of hrs and you're almost out of water, why don't you take this" i say while offering them one of my Nalgenes. " we can just get water from the stream" says the girl,herself a little calmer " its a mountain spring im sure its clean enough". " from chemical contaminates maybe, but not from biological" i explained. " Look, that mtn top and ridge are north, which means if its on you left you traveling basically east, Right, west and behind you basically south, which is where the road, and im sure your car are." By this time the guy has lowered his stick and is just standing there looking around scratching his head. "by the way, im not the Shepard, im not the one to lead us, i leave that to well meaning, but sometimes misguided people such as yourselves" " Im more like the sheep dog, just doing what is asked of me." " have a nice day" i say while tossing them my map and a full Nalgene. As i walked away i heard one of them say something but i just kept walking.
So thats my story. The whole interaction was probably 20min. I only bring it up because i haven't stopped thinking about it. As soon as i got back to my car i wrote it down. This is something I've been noticing more and more. People preaching acceptance while at the same time condemning. People defending they're life style choice, while at the same time telling me mine is wrong. I don't think i have to wear tie-dye and stink like patchouli to enjoy the outdoors. I don't have to stage sit-ins and have drum circles, to show compassion for my fellow man. I jut simply say " if you need me ill be there". I will defend your beliefs even if i disagree with them. I wont give a drug addled bum the spare change out of my pocket because i don't want to! instead, i'll go build houses with habitat AGAIN, and every other sunday i'll go down to the homeless shelter and serve food, just like I've been doing for the past 3yrs. Don't lecture me about judging people for their beliefs or appearances, when the only reason you're lecturing me is because of what you PERCEIVE to be my beliefs based on my APPEARANCE. Im sorry, but its just getting old and tired!!! Im not PC, and i make no apologies for that. Im not trendy, hip, cool, alternative, new school, or old school. I just am. We can sit down have a cup of tea and just enjoy what limited time we have together. You never know, if you take the time to learn about someone who appears to be very different from you, you may find that you have a lot more in common then you thought. Since gaining this abundant (and soon to be gone) free time, I've met soooo many new people. I've learned so much from these total strangers just by opening my mind and my heart. Im not gonna stop doing what i do, or being who i am. But I'm starting to learn that most of us are all searching for the same thing, we're just going about it in different ways.
Im starting to ramble now so ill wrap it up.
I just wanted to share that event, not just because it made me mad, but also because it made me feel embarrassed at the way i dealt with it. I just wanted to launch it out there and see what you guys thought. Comments? observations? anyone else feel like this sometimes?