IN WHICH A NORMAL HIKE IN THE MOUNTAINS
IS INTERRUPTED BY SERENDIPITY
Not much happened in the next three years that relates directly to the story I am telling. Abbie and I were both in high school. In 1955, we took a train trip to California to see our grandparents. It was my first chance to actually see a little bit of my "native" state. We didn't go to Death Valley or Mt. Whitney, so I could keep telling my outrageous stories about those places without obviously lying. We did take a trip to the redwoods, which are even more fantastic than they look in pictures. I love the cool, dark, dampness - not like any other forest I've ever been in.
We also made a trip to Yosemite. Of course, I knew something about it, but I don't think anybody can really be prepared for that first view of Yosemite Valley. It had been a winter with an especially large snowpack, and the falls were booming! Even in the '50s, some people were saying that the Valley was already overcrowded. They wouldn't believe it, today - a monument to overcrowding, where all the planning has been toward making the area accessible to people, rather than emphasizing protecting the area. Even so, the cliffs and the waterfalls are still there. It remains one of the natural wonders of the world.
In 1956, Dad wanted some extra time at the observatory, and we were ready for a long hike. There weren't any four thousand footers we could climb for the first time, but we weren't averse to just hiking and enjoying the country. To extend our trip, we had Dad drop us off at the Crawford Path, while he drove the car around to the Base Station, and went up on the Cog. We hiked to Lakes the first night, then cut across to the Gulfside to spend the next night at Madison Hut. On our last day, we'd go down the mountain as we had before, and meet Dad at Appalachia.
That was the first mountain trip on which we'd had any bad weather - and what we got wasn't really dangerous. The hike from Crawford's to Lakes was quite windy, but clear. Beyond Lakes, a cloud cap settled over the mountains, and we walked in dense "fog" all the way to Mt. Jefferson. As I said, it wasn't dangerous - as long as you paid attention to what you were doing- but it was slow. What you do is locate a cairn - a tall pile of rocks marking the trail - and you don't leave it until you're sure you know where the next one is. It can be a little claustrophobic.
When we finally broke out into the sunlight again, Mom and Abbie decided they were ready to go directly to Madison Hut. I was feeling more energetic, and decided to climb Mt. Jefferson again, my favorite, so far, of the four thousand footers. I had only climbed a little way, when I noticed that there was another group ahead of me. The girl who was the closest to me looked disturbingly familiar to me. She was taller and slimmer than who I had been thinking about, and her legs were definitely not little girl legs. If she would just turn her head a little... yep, pigtails. It was my nemesis.
Considering our previous meetings, you might think that I immediately turned back, and left the mountain before anybody noticed me. For some unexplainable reason, I felt almost happy to see her. I climbed a little closer to her, and when I was sure she could hear me, I said "Hey, Girl."
There was a brief pause, and then a scream almost as scary as the one at Zealand. "Danny, is that you!"
Just that response was rewarding. I wasn't sure she had ever known my name. She motioned for her family to keep climbing, then sat down on a rock to wait for me. I climbed up, and sat beside her. She briefly draped her arm over my shoulder - the first evidence that she had even considered me a human being - said "Hey, Boy, took back her arm, then sat back and inspected me.
"What are you doing here, Danny?""
"I'm climbing Mt. Jefferson, just like you."
"I know that. What I am asking is how you happen to be here at the same time as me."
I paused for a moment. "I have two possible theories. One is that the Mountain Gods saw we were far apart, thought we should be closer, and whisked me over here."
She gave me an odd look. I don't think she had much whimsey in her soul. "What's the second possibility?"
"Serendipity."
"Serendipity? What is that?"
"Serendipity is when happy or pleasing things occur completely unexpectedly."
She seemed to be mulling that over. "This is unexpected, but is it happy or pleasing?"
I smiled at her. 'Oh, I think so."
She stood up. "Let's climb."
Her family was already at the summit when we caught up. Grace's mother smiled, and her brother nodded to me. Her dad gave me a big handshake. "Dan, I'm glad to see you, but I thought two was your limit."
"So did I."
He kept talking before anybody could question that exchange. "So, what brings you here, Dan?"
"Serendipity," Grace responded.
He gave her a long look. "I can believe that, but I was looking for a little more detail. Dan"
"I'm not sure it can be explained in the conventional way, but here's what basically has occurred. My dad is a meteorologist - a weather man. He's working over at the observatory on Mt. Washington for a couple days. My mom, my sister and I are on a hiking trip while he works. We started on the Crawford Path, stayed at Lakes last night, and are walking to Madison today. Mom and Abbie went on to the hut. I decided to climb Jefferson, again. I had no idea you were anywhere in the vicinity. I didn't know you were anywhere in the State!"
He rubbed his chin, in thought. "It's beginning to seem like these chance encounters are not really just chance."
"I was having the same thought," I agreed.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Grace's mom.
"Oh, just pondering the workings of the universe," he said, as he stood up. "Now, if we're going to climb one more mountain, and still get home tonight, we better be on our way."
I went along with them on their climb up Adams, but Grace was back to the ignoring me stage. I don't think she said one word to me after we left the summit of Jefferson.
When we got to Madison Hut, I introduced them to Mom and Abbie, but they were anxious to be gone. When Mom asked me how I knew them, I didn't want to get into it.
***
The hut was pretty full that night, and we had quite a crowd gathered on top of Madison to watch the sun go down. It was fun, but I found that I was a little upset and confused about the day's happenings.
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