Jack* owns part of a mountain. His house sits on 20 acres
in a canyon at the base. There is an old overgrown road,
barely driveable and not for the light of heart, up the
short side of the mountain to
an old cabin on his property
at the very top. Probably
at one time a hunter's cabin,
very small, very rustic.
(BTW this is not a picture
of Jack's mountain).
He is working to fulfill a dream. His wife of 24 years is finishing out her career
in Florida as an attorney, and will retire in 5 years and move permanently
to NM. By then the dream of Jack's should be finished.
Working hard to rebuild the cabin, he is making plans for water storage,
repairing the damaged roof, flooring, windows, doors, etc. He wants to turn
it back into a cabin for hikers. Hikers who climb his mountain.
The climb would be approximately four days to the cabin (not taking
the short road, rather hiking up the long way), then four or five days
back down the other side from the cabin. Sort of a 'find yourself' again
excursion with everything planned out.
First phase of plans include no strangers - only people he knows.
These people must go through firearms safety training (you should
carry a rifle if hiking over a mountain), also a training session on
camping and hiking in NM, plus a few lessons in dealing with wild
critters....you just can't shoot a bear or mountain lion for example.
Once the hiker reaches the cabin, he or she can replenish supplies,
wash, tend to needs, etc. A comfy cot provides the much needed
rest before hiking back down again the other side.
Sounds fantastic to me, and I'm not a camper! Problems
await of course. For one fire restrictions which are varied
pertaining to different times of the year. Two is communication
in the event of an emergency. And wild animals are indeed
a concern certain years, depending upon late freezes, etc.
Still, the dream, the idea, the hard work is there being
worked on with nary a thought to the problems. May we
all pursue our dreams with as much gusto as Jack!
