Walkin' and Talkn'

I headed up to Mt. Sterling today with Bryan and Thomas to enjoy a good hike before UT starts up. It was great weather and the 2 miles up helped work up an appetite for the peanutbutter sandwiches. The fire tower gave us a great view but the fog was rolling through, covering the scenery. Even though we couldn't see everything, it was all there, and we were in the middle of it. That's a lot like life is down below. The best part of being up there was, as usually is the case, the conversation with friends.

Better Than A Ghost Story

Just took my 12 year old son on an overnight to campsite 18 an the West Prong Trail. There's a great secluded site across the creek and there were no campers at all last night so we had the creek to ourselves. Someone had left a pair of wet New Balance sneakers in camp and I sat them on a log near the creek. We messed around in the creek and then gathered wood and had dinner. Before dark we had a few games of chess and then it was time to settle in for the night. Ben asked for a ghost story but I couldn't think of any. I need to read a few or make some up before we head out again. I shined my light around camp before turning in and as I did, I saw two eyes reflecting back at me about 4 feet off the ground. I asked Ben if he could see them too. He was in the tent and had to maneuver around and then he saw them. "Do you think it's a deer?" I told him a deer wouldn't get that close, and they weren't moving, just watching. The tension mounted and and then he said what he'd been afraid to ask all along. "Is it a bear?" I told him it could be...(tension mounts).... or it could be......the reflective strip on the heels of those shoes I put on that log.
Now I will have to confess that I had a half second of concern myself when I first caught them in my light. So if you venture to #18 and can't think of good story, see if there isn't a pair of New Balance sneakers on a log you can use.