It was too short.
That sums the entire trip up for me. It was just too damn short. Excluding the two days of travel, I got five full days in Trinity. And it felt like one.
I never want to leave. And I always have the funk after I come home. But this year… man… sigh… Now that I’m home it feels like I didn’t go at all.
But enough about that.
The weather was perfect all week. It rained and it was cold. The moon cycle was perfect as well. Wednesday night and Thursday night there was no moon at all (so the deer would be up all day, moving around and feeding during daylight hours).
This was the first year I actually got to put some bucks in my crosshairs. And yet I couldn’t pull the trigger–none of them were legal. No bear sightings this year. No deer hanging in any of the hunting camps. And less gamebirds than I’ve ever seen up there.
The logging has really taken a toll on the wildlife on our beloved Red Mountain. The timber company cut new roads all over the flank of Red Mountain below The Saddle. As a result, I didn’t see one deer above BPR (Buck Production Road) all week. Not good for us.
And I’m seeing more cops (people that we don’t know, not necessarily law enforcement) on Red Mountain that ever. We used to have the whole area practically to ourselves. Now there are new roads, more hunters, and even a winery. Trinity is feeling less and less like “getting away from it all”.
This year was a very tame year for drinking. Drinking beer, that is. In years past we consumed a ridiculous amount of Coors Light 30-packs. This year we brought half of our normal supply… and ended up bring beer home with us. We *did* drink more hard stuff, however. I guess it’s time to make that transition that all men face in their mid-30’s–we can’t drink beer fast enough any more to get a decent buzz. My father and his friends went through the same ordeal around the same age. They made the switch from beer to liquor. And that’s what we’re doing as well. Jimmy put it best when he said this year, “Beer is for road-beer now.”
And now the cabin has satellite TV, in addition to a dedicated year-round phone line, and Internet connection (although it *is* dial-up). Everything is on solar power now. No need to use the propane lamps or the gas generator. The kitchen in the main cabin even has a microwave and coffee pot. This isn’t getting away from it all, this isn’t a hunting cabin. This is a home that happens to be in the mountains.
And now that uncle Stanley is retired, and all his projects are complete, he lives there through the summer and fall. I love the guy, and I’m eternally grateful for his hospitality (the cabin and property belong to him). But it’s kind of hard for me to relax around Stanley. He’s a *little* high-strung.
And this year I have a job. It took me five days to unwind. And then it was time to go. Is this how vacations go for all you working-folk? Last year I spent 15 days in Trinity. This year I spent six.
I feel like something’s missing. I feel a bit empty inside. I guess it was a combination of all things. But I don’t like it. I need more mountain-time.
I need to get away from it all. Still.
