once there was a glove

As you may already know, it is sometimes cold around here, the devices knows as gloves are needed.

 

It all started in what was to be known as the first democratic hike. I participated in lots of hikes, but that was the 1^st one I organized.

I went ahead the day before after work to scout the area, witnessed the roaring waters of the rocky river below, and witnessed some deer, I was freezing with 3 shirts, gloves, and a scarf wrapped around my heat to cover my ears. 45- 60 minutes- not bad for a scouting session.

So the next day a dozen people followed me into the woods…

Being an experience orienteer I rarely get lost, but sometimes I am temporarily misplaced

But today was cold but clear sky- the 1^st nice weekend of the year and we hiked for an hour and a half- till I gathered them and told that , it was time to get back according to the original plan.

Cliff the would be usurper  suggested to move on, I verified no one wanted to go back, so instead of under 6 miles- It became above 10.

We reached the other side of the park and headed back on the other side of the river, crossed lots of brooks, tried to avoid the semi muddy ground and had fun.

Courtney reminded them that cliff got them lost before in this area.

So after 2 hours we reached a fork in the road. One trail went up, the other continued along the bank, I said lets go up, but stubborn people took the easy way….yeh real easy- after 100 meters the road ended, and they looked up at a steep climb. It was steep and slippery, resting on tree logs on the way and using branches to climb. I was in the rear of this climb, helping out, while most of the gang made it to the top when Courtney shouts, have you seen my glove?, I look about and see the glove just a foot away….lucky- going down and up again, no way.

An hour later there was another fork, and cliff figured that left is the way to go. You can’t go left unless you have a good campaigner, I said right and had a road map to prove it, he said he sees house (I agree, there were houses, but we needed to go to the other side of the park, away from the houses), there was a feeling of mutiny in the air, where would the group go- just as a background info- cliff lives close by and hikes there often, it was my 2^nd visit there (the 1^st the previous night) and never on this side of the river)- but I trust my instincts- finally, someone said they were trusting me, and like domino’s they all fell in line (lucky I was right). We soon made it to the river, we walked around some more and entered urban areas.

We cross a street and a car honks at us, I like some of the rest murmur comments on rude obnoxious drivers who have no patients to pedestrians, then the drives honks again, I look back to see a glove on the road, and now it was racer’s glove, I quickly run back, pick it up, signal thanks to the misunderstood driver, hand alla her glove, and try to put on mine (the famous work gloves), I put one glove on, and something is in the way of the other- simply no glove, while I was going back to fetch the other one, I dropped my glove. So I double back and get my glove and we hike on.

We had to cross the train tracks to get to the other side where the cars were, but the tracks are high, cliff tries to climb through the cliffy part, I see ahead a trails over a bridge- that goes up in a more civilized fashion- this was after 3 hours of extraneous hike, so discounts are allowed, we walk the trail, reach small fence, hop over it and make it to the tracks. From there we had great views of a nearby water fall. cliff and his fellow cliffhangers figured the cliff was too hard and decided to walk the street around and we got separated. We crossed the track, to the other side, where some people decided we have enough nuts (someone brought nuts) and spilled half the bag (to the joy of train squirrels, I bet) , and across another brook, to the main toe path leading to the cars.

After a couple of minutes, racer finds that her glove is lost again.. I don’t know why but long hikes make me feel great, and I can probably run now, a lot more then I could with no hike, so I jog a minute back and find the rouge glove, and run back to make it just as we reached the cars.. then we waited 15 minutes more to cliff and the hangers.

Then it was time for lunch. Cliff offered some Mexican place and we went there, decent place , but not ‘uncle julio’ later cliff said we could have gone to another place, near that would probably be better, for offering a more complete menu, not just Mexican,

 

So what have we learned?

Avoid cliffs, they can be bad for your health

The other side of the tracks is not always bad

The hard road ahead may be easier then the short road ahead, look to the distance.

Tie your gloves.

 

Give or take a week later, in Toronto , after the queen musical and the 2^nd shawarma (mmmm shawarma), I put my work glove on and try to put the 2^nd one but it was gone (they are called work gloves , since this was how they were labeled in the store , at Indian river , Michigan few months back, they are the cheapest pair you can have). I like these gloves, they are nice to hike with since they are thin. So sad we walked , one hand in the glove , and the other in the pocket, back to the subway, and there on the floor, like a long lost dog, was the glove.  we passed by that spot 3 hours before, next to a main sub way station on a busy street (in a clean city)- and it hadn’t been moved, and no speck on it (just a bit of dirt).

 

So it was meant to be, and the glove was reunited with the hand that bore it.

 

The end