“Are you sure you don’t want to go?”
“Positive.”
“Last chance.”
“There is literally nothing I want to do less that spend a week out in the woods.”
“You were going to go originally.”
“We weren’t broken up then.”
“So you never wanted to go?”
“Precisely.”
“You should have said something.”
“I’m saying something now.”
“Fair enough.”
“Are you still going?”
“Of course there’s twice as much food now. Have fun at work.”
“You’re a jerk sometimes.”
“You’ve said so many times.”
That’s pretty much what I expected when I called. But old habits died hard. It ended pretty amicably but in this case I wanted to annoy her one last time.
It was a pleasant three hour car ride to get up north. Then it was another five mile hike to get to the riverside campsite. The best part was that it was early in the season so it was quite possible that I would have the woods to myself.
It didn’t take long to set up camp. I put a tarp up to cover my gear and serve as a place to keep firewood dry. Next I slung my hammock between two trees. I found the perfect spot that let me lie in it while still being able to see the river.
I should have started collecting firewood, but after the hike in, a nap was sounding like a much better idea. I curled up in the hammock and letting the shade of the trees above and the sound of the running water lulled me to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of crunching gravel. At home, I’m a heavy sleeper, but out in the woods a twig snapping with wake me. Finding a black bear in your camp more than once will do that to you.
I sprang up to see a young woman walking along the riverbank.
“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. There’s usually not any people around this time of the year.”
“It’s okay. I managed to sneak up here. I thought I was alone as well. I’m Jack.”
“Tara,” she said. The woman has red hair and dressed for hiking.
“You live around here?”
“You could say that.”
“You’re lucky. I’ve wanted to move up here for years.”
“What do you do?”
“I write for a magazine.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“It sounds more fun than it sounds. What do you do?”
“A little this, a little that.”
“Ahh, yeah I had to work multiple gigs before.”
She laughed, “Yeah it’s hard to find work around here.”
“Do you like your work?”
Again she laughed, “Yeah, I get to spend a lot of time outdoors.”
“Oh that’s my dream.”
“You never know. Dreams come true.”
We kept talking. I found a camp chair in my stuff and she sat down while I sat in the hammock. She was interesting. And inquisitive. She asked a lot of questions.
“What’s that?” she asked when I pulled out my phone to check the weather.
“It’s my phone. You don’t have one?”
“No.”
“Makes sense you probably don’t get any reception around here.”
“Yeah that’s it.”
We kept talking. I made some food. She was a vegetarian and ate the collection of fruit in her small bag.
It was getting late and I didn’t realize we’d been talking all day.
“Oh wow,” I said, “It’s starting to get dark.”
“It sure is.”
“If you don’t want to walk back in the dark, you can take the hammock. I can sleep under the tarp over if I move my stuff.”
“Hmm,” she said, “or you could follow me.”
“Can we get there at night?”
“Don’t worry, Twilight will last as long as I tell it to.”
You got to love hippie girls, but I got up and followed.
We walked through the forest along the edge of the river. It sounds strange but it did seem like it was taking forever for it to get dark.
We walked for what seemed like hours. She was a natural in the forest. She glided through it while I was huffing and puffing. We turned deeper into the woods and walked until we reached a small clearing.
It was unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was the forest, but it almost looked arranged. Wildflowers grew with perfect paths between them. A stream turned into a large pool and then flowed back out to the river. One section of trees grew into a perfect little enclosure, like a natural hut “What is this?”
“This is where I live.”
“You live here?”
Normally, someone saying they lived in the forest would be strange, especially with no signs of a tent or cabin.
“That was a long walk. Care for a dip?”
I had a million questions for the forest girl but I lost track of them when she disrobed and walked into the shallow pool. The moon was out and the water looked nearly black in its light. Against my better judgement I followed.
We swam and splashed and then dried off in the moonlight.
I fell asleep right out there in the grass. The next morning I woke to find Tara in the hut.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Give me one second.”
I waited along the water. She appeared a minute later with tons of fruit and some kind of delicious bread, with nuts and seeds in it.
“This is great,” I said.
“Thank you I made it.”
“Out here.”
“Yep.”
“How? There’s no equipment.”
“It’s easier than it looks.”
I stared at the grey sky, “Looks like rain will be here soon.”
“It is raining.”
“What?”
“Just not in here. See for yourself.”
Sure enough I made it to the edge of the little clearing and my hand got wet when I stuck it out into the woods.
“How can this be?”
“I just didn’t want it to rain in here. I didn’t want to spend the day in the hut.”
We spent the day walking through the forest. She knew all these amazing spots I could have never found on my own. And I could swear the birds were louder when she was around.
We returned to the glade, and swam again. I was getting more comfortable and despite the weird part of basically living outdoors it was pretty nice. The second night I kissed her out in the dew covered grass. The third night it went further.
And for several days I did just that.
One day, while we were sitting in the grass a deer came up and licked her on the cheek. Then he pranced off.
I had finally had to ask, I didn’t want to spoil anything but the write in me was getting curious.
“Are you Mother Nature?” I asked.
“That’s one of my names,” she said.
“What is your real name?”
“I’m far older than names. I’ve been the forest goddess as long as I can remember. People have called me many things, Gaia…Terra Mater…Mother Nature is simply the newest one.”
“Should I call you Mother Nature?”
“Do you really want to refer to someone you’re sleeping with as Mother?”
“Not really.”
“Tara will do.”
I though for a second, “Ha, Tara I get it now.”
“You’re clever,” she said smiling.
“I have another question, why does a forest spirit look like Patagonia ad?”
“You don’t like the way I dress?” she laughed.
“Not it’s great just not what I pictured a forest goddess wearing.”
“Oh like this?” She snapped her finger and the flannel shirt and hiking boots turned into a dress made of leaves with a crown of flowers in her hair.”
“That’s more like it.”
“Or perhaps this?” And the leaves disappeared. Even though I’d seen her undressed many times at this point. It was still breathtaking. She snapped again and the clothes came back.
“I like to walk among your kind and the leaves would stand out too much.’
“You’d stand out wherever you went I’m pretty sure.”
“You’re sweet. I knew I picked a good one.”
“So you didn’t happen on me at the beach.”
“I’m a millenia old forest spirit. I don’t happen upon anything. I am a good judge of character and you seemed like a fun person to talk to. It does get lonely out here.”
“Do you ever leave the forest?”
“From time to time. I like to see what’s happening in the world.”
‘Would you like to see where I’m from?“
“I’d like that very much.”
“Me too. Plus there’s someone I want to show you too.”
“Oh who?”
“Someone I’d like to make very jealous,” I said and she smiled.
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Mother nature a nice view
That's my daughter. Be careful, she can turn on you. There are those who go there and never leave.