MOUNTAIN MAN

MOUNTAIN MAN
I Just spent a few relaxing days on Big Bear Lake in California. The scenery and history of the place is captivating. Perched at 7000 foot above sea level, in an idyllic site, Big Bear’s picturesque scenery shows some of God’s best handwork. The manmade lake, nestled between the mountains, is a mile wide and 7 miles long, speckled with thousands of small pleasure boats, beautiful cabins and homes, and it is the centerpiece for a mountain community surrounded by tall trees, huge boulders and mountain peaks. Located only a few hours from California’s coast, the area attracts the rich and famous from both the beach towns and Las Vegas.
One can only wonder how this place looked a few hundred years ago, and they men who first lived here. The local tale, speaks of a hunter who shot a large grizzle bear, and then followed the wounded animal for miles thru a pass, until he came upon this natural paradise. (it’s also said he discovered a gold mine worth untold millions..talk about your Jed Clampit luck)
The original inhabitants braved the cold winters, as well as attacks by Indians and grizzly bears. They hunted, trapped, fished and lived off the land. I found myself mesmerized as I looked out the cabin window at the tranquil lake, and soon I was fast asleep at the keyboard…..
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My canoe sliced effortlessly thru the water, with the wind at my back, as I drifted silently across the lake (ok the lake wasn’t made quite yet, until they built the dam..I’m using literary license here). The small rocky cove up ahead looked like a good place to make camp for the night. My supplies had run low, and my priorities were to make a fire and try to find some small game to feed my growling stomach. In my inexperience, I carried with me only an axe, a long gun, some basic mining tools, a few food provisions and my trustee bowie knife.
Somehow I felt this was my destiny to come here. I’ve always been loaner but now I’m questioning my motives for this trip. The quiet and desolation of this place is a little unnerving.( I owe it to myself to spend a weekend in Vegas when I finish up here. Its only 3 or 4 hours away…I guess a little more, if cars havn’t been invented yet)
I’ll admit, that aside from some short canoe trips, I’m no mountain man. Yet I find myself strangely drawn to this place by both its natural beauty and the allure of finding gold. It only now has occurred to me that just surviving up here alone would be my greatest challenge.
The days are mild but the nights can become very cold. Fortunately there is abundant wood for fire making and plenty of good clean mountain water. I’ve been lucky but there are also days where my traps and hunting efforts have gone unrewarded.
Well I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now and built myself a small log lean to, for protection from the weather (thanks to my word processor, I can go back and add an axe to my meager supplies I bought with me). I’ve found this to be a harsh life, spending half my day prospecting for gold and the other half just supporting my survival. Most days have had little reward for me, except for the privilege of sharing this wonderful place with the birds and animals.
I’ve done better than I had expected up here but I’ve made a few costly mistakes that almost cost me my life. I’ve learned from experience that even a minor injury in these mountains can stack the odds of survival decidedly against a man. The other night I got lazy and left the fish heads and remains from my evening meal too close to my camp. I was awakened by the sounds of a large grizzly that didn’t like the fact that I was in close proximity to his newly acquired meal. I could see his shadow in the flickering light of the fire. The bear had long since smelled me, and charged, swatting me to the ground with one swipe of his huge paw. The massive claws ripped thru my blanket and clothing, tearing away at my flesh. I heard the bone in my arm crack as I offered what little resistance I could offer. Fighting back was futile, I was resolved to accept my fate. I laid there dazed and near lifeless, face down in the dirt, cut, bit, broken and bleeding. I was fortunate because for some unknown reason the bear decided that finishing his food was more important that finishing me. I laid there hunched up in the fetal position, frightened, dazed, and wounded for what seemed like hours before crawling off to tend to my wounds.
After a few days of healing I decided that maybe this whole mining idea was not for me. The desolation was starting to get to me, and winter was right around the corner so, I packed up the camp, took one fond look back at the lake, and thn headed back west. Yes..I was Hollywood bound, to pursue my other great (and safer) loves….acting and surfing…..
P.I.B.