The birthday I wasn't supposed to have

[Ordin_Aryguy]

Good thoughts headed out to one that's obviously strong of will and big of heart.

Happy B'Day and many more!


Ordin

[Dutch]

Inspiring absolutely inspiring.

[lazy river road]

A truley beatiful story, I certainly agree with Cranky in saying one of the best posts ive ever read. Keep on hanging on,
Happy Hanging and Happy Birthday
~LRR

[moski]

Wow !
That was the best post i read in awhile !
Great to have you around !

And

Happy Birthday !

[Bug-Bait]

You are an inspiration to us all!!

[Mrprez]

Very nice post. A nomination for best of the year. My FIL was diagnosed with cancer and given 6 months to live. Everyone pretty much had him in the grave. I refused to believe it and tried to get others to have some faith. He underwent chemo and is now cancer free. He goes in every 6 months for those scans and he is no longer "lit up like a Christmas tree".

[pegleg56]

Very familar story ......... I too was diagnosed w/cancer. I remember hearing those words the first time and feeling like everything just stopped. Had a seven year old and felt like I was abandonong her. Probably the first time I truly felt mortal and fragile.
Also went the chemo route for a few months, and quit (not to say that chemo doesn't work, just not for me). Opted to give up a part of a leg and try to enjoy whatever time I had left. I had always backpacked and hiked, and within 30 days of getting my prosthesis, was walking trails again (short ones, but I was outside). Still walking trails, and continually amazed of the beauty of nature. Don't walk as fast or far as I used to, but I don't have to go as far to find peace and solitude as I used to think.
I also celebrate a June birthday, and Monday (July 12th) will celebrate 5 years cancer free. Thanks to a University of great Doctors, great family and friends, and a God that's not quite done with me, the last five years have truly been the best.
So, from one survivor to another, HANG in there (every pun intended).

Tom

[avalonmorn]

Pegleg(Tom), now it's ME that is all misty-eyed. We are so fortunate to be here. Anna

[Bradley]

A couple of years ago, I had about 5 months before I met my maker. The news was a shock, and Mark Twain was correct....I didn't regret all the stupid decisions that I made to mess up my life over the years, I regretted the things that I didn't do. . . .
. . . Thank you all for being such a positive part of my day. Anna

Anna
If you are the only one that reads this long winded post
and enjoys it . . . well all the better for that.

This is about me and my BUDDY ONE
We met in '77 and became fast freinds

Buddy One has been gone for a year +
and I have thought of him at least 365+ times in that year +

To start, I wish it hasn’t been years since I packed.
But in the 70’s and 80’s Me and Buddy-One did a lot of trail stompin’ and bush wackin’.
Mostly in Alberta Canada.
Wilmore Wilderness, Sifler Wilderness, Ram River Falls etc.
My Buddy refused winter camping, which kinda urked me,
So I ended up buying a small property in the wilderness
And lived in a tent for a couple of years, even in –40 weather.
Mind you I lived in the lap of luxury, the tent had a wood floor,
And a wood burning stove, “Quebec Model 184”
And yes I did have running water . . . I had to run down to the crik to get it.
Lighting was from a glass coal oil table lamp for general lighting,
And fine work was performed under an auto bulb #1156, powered by a car battery.
So in a word, yes, I did have some conveniences.

I spent many a winters night with only a Rustlers Moon,
leaving my tent/home and wandering the local bush.
You would be amazed at what you can see with a skift of snow on the ground
(or hard pack deep snow) and a sliver of a moon.
That is when the wild life is on the move, or not.
There were many a night I came home after a trek,
to come face to face with wild life.
And one night in particular, a cow moose in my front yard,
then to discover in the morning, the tracks of her calf,
on the other side of my tracks.
Not sure how I got outta being hurt that night
but I do remember having a nice calm talk with her,
as that was all I could muster.
(I was likely somewhat a feared, we were only 25 feet apart)

But in the summer when packing, we seldom took a tent,
and used a 2 man tent fly or two, to build a lean2 type shelter.
Funny in those days we were not concerned with water purification
as we believed that we had the purest water in the world, and still do.
Just blessed I guess we never ended up with problems.

I would always take the 10” cast iron fry pan,
And my full size fly rod,
After that a couple of changes of cloths
and for food just some jerky and some store bought dry goods,
rice, kraft dinners and the like.
We normally just et lots of fish.
Dollies, cut throat, etc.

Sometimes we would stick to the trails
and sometimes we would just trek off into the bush,
not likely, but quite possibly, where no man had set foot in that exact spot.

We saw some wonderful scenery, crossed awesome streams and rivers,
climbed rugged mountains, and eat some tasty fish.
At night resting by the camp fire we would sometimes solve the worlds ills and problems,
talk about earlier conquests, or just breath the fresh bush country air.
We didn’t always agree, but we seldom argued.

I moved away, towards other adventures,
eventually married as did my friend, and a few thousand miles apart,
we both started families.

We were in contact, but those days there were no cel phones and I lived on a sail boat.
He once came out and we spent a wild time sailing,
leaving his feance behind, well after her first trip . . .
I did talk to him over a pay phone a number of times through those years.

*******
Last year I got an email that my friend had lost his 5-year battle with Multiple Myeloma . . .
I cried and even sobbed for him . . . or was it for me ???

I miss the time we spent together in the bush:
The day we were leaving for Siffleur Wilderness,
we heard that there was a bear in the area,
over one mountain or so,
and in the news they were saying how it had harassed some campers at a site,
that the conservation officers were in hot pursuit, yet were evaded.
We decided to go anyways, and while we were camping beside a very noisy part of the Siffleur River,
we became very concerned that we could not hear the approach of anything friend nor foe.
We laughed about our nervousness,
and Bernard termed the phrase Bearanoia.
We had our dogs "Tripod and Barney Miller" along for an early warning system.
Mind you Tripod was a three legged little terrier that barked incessantly,
and Barney would sleep through raped gun fire.

At the Ram River as night fall came,
we were about to rest after eating dinner and Bernard said
"Hey, pull out that Backpackers mini Chess set",
for me to realize that I had forgotten it.
We both laid against our respective trees, and as I thought
". . . how could I forget the chess set . . .",
I heard Bernard say "Queens Pawn to Queen four".
I laughed and we played a dozen moves each,
until Bernard said "You can't move there, my piece is there".
To which I argued, and as we analyzed it We discovered that my Queen
was not on her right color, black.

If you’ve endured to now I hope you enjoyed my Freind.

If I have learned anything about bush life, it maybe two fold,
one never interrupt the beautiful scenery with words stating how wonderful it appears,
and two, if you’re going to speak at least make it interesting enough for one your with, to enjoy.

TTFN

PS. I have two young daughters, and cry for the day that they cry for missing me, as they love me so much.

PPS. In the 2 photos below, I am taking the photo,
of the end of the day drying out,
after a waist high river Xing.
And I just realized this was the location
and only an hour or so prior to the chess game in our minds.

The other is when we went to Rock Creek and JB Berg Hole
Bernard is taking the photo and I'm the one in green.
It is a little water damaged over the years.

PPPS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA

[avalonmorn]

Bradley, what a beautiful post about friendship and the love of nature. Funny, how when we lose someone dear to us, our escapades together flash in our memory all the days of our lives. They would be proud. Anna