Copper Ridge [h.s]

silence

There are some qualities – some incorporate things,
That have a double life, which thus is made
A type of that twin entity which springs
From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade.
There is a two-fold silence – sea and shore –
Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places,
Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn
Some human memories and tearful lore
Render him terrorless; his name's "No More."

Silence - Edgar Allan Poe

***

At 5am, the alarm on my phone rang. It is safe to say that I was fairly annoyed at having to be up that early on a trip that was supposed to be relaxing. Nothing screams relaxing more than waking up at the shrilling sound of the standard iPhone alarm tone. Adam was in no better mood himself. I had the urge to make a snide remark about how we would not have had to be up that early if he had just gotten us the permits, however, I kept my mouth shut. We had already talked about it, no need to bring it up again.

Last night, we acted like two teenagers that had just discovered what sex was. We could not help ourselves though, once we started, we only wanted more. God, maybe I should be embarrassed but damn did it feel good. I wish I had some critical thinking though because our activities resulted in us only having a few hours of sleep.

We had a quick breakfast with some premade sandwiches we had in a cooler bag. We decided to not leave the car until we needed to head out, just to appreciate the comfort we would not have out there. Considering we will only be able to eat freeze-dried and canned for the next couple of days, I tried to savor the taste as much as possible. Call me dramatic but you would be too. I think it will do me good though, teach me to appreciate the small things in life.

After our breakfast, we packed up our things and got ready to leave. I promised Adam I would try to relax and stop thinking so much, but I still made us double check our bags to make sure we had everything we needed and did not leave anything important behind. I also sent a quick message to my mom, telling her that we were going to leave our phones behind and that we would be back in five days, but that it might be another day or two depending on the weather. I wanted to make sure at least someone knew about our whereabouts, just in case.

When we left the car to head to the entrance of the trail, I noticed shoeprints in the mud. They would not have caught my attention if it were not for the fact that they were right outside. I thought that maybe Adam had gone out at some point, but they looked like someone had circled around, multiple times. I decided to take a look around the car, trying to confirm to myself that I actually was seeing this. By the left back window, the shoeprints changed. They were angled directly at the car, signaling that someone had paused there, directly outside of the window. The window that we did not cover last night.

It made me feel sick, thinking about if someone had stood there, watching us in such an intimate moment. I did not tell Adam; he was already in a bad mood and I did not want to make it worse. Maybe someone was just curious, maybe they had walked by later and seen nothing.

Don't overthink so much, try to relax.

By the entrance of the trail, an information board was put up. There was a map pointing out where we were and showing the different paths you could take. There was also information about the vegetation and wildlife in the area. A warning about bears was put up, but we already knew they existed in this area so we, or should I say I, had taken precautions and brought bear sprays. Bears were not at the top of my list of things I was concerned off in the wild, being attacked by one is highly unlikely unless you disturb them.