Winter Hike

What a stupid idea,.you think to yourself as you walk the snow-filled path. Or at least, you think it's the path. It was a path when you started, but the deeper you have gone into the woods, the deeper the snow has gotten. Now that you think about it, that makes sense. It's the week after Christmas - nobody has been out to clear the trails.

But, you're stubborn. So you keep walking. This path is supposed to lead to a gorgeous view of Lake Vallor. And after the mess of a holiday season that you’ve had, you just want to get away from all of it for a bit.

It had been a nice enough winter day when you’d started out, so an hour ago you didn't mind the snow or even the cold. But now your feet are wet, your coat hood is frosty, the scarf you wore has ice on it, and your soaked gloves feel useless.

And you are hopelessly lost. You didn't want to admit it, but you are. Your phone shut down from being too cold. So you are on your own.

You are half tempted to climb a tree and see if you can spot the highway or the lake. But you’re not sure you could get high enough to get see anything. So you lean against a tree, trying to remember any of the survival things you’ve learned over the years. You know you've already failed the first rule, as you've wandered too far away.

And you didn't come prepared. You only have your winter clothes - no backpack with supplies, just whatever was in your pockets. You've clicked your key fob and you can't hear the car horn. Which means you are too far away from your car to be in range.

Then while leaning against the tree, you smell smoke. But it doesn't smell like out-of-control smoke, more like campfire smoke. Seeing it as your best chance of getting out of here, you try to follow the smell. The tree line starts to thin and you find a clearing.

You walk into the clearing and see a cabin. A cabin out here? How odd... You pause. Is knocking on this random door a good idea? What if the person inside is creepy…or a murderer? Then the wind picks up and it feels like it cuts right through you.

So, not caring who answers that door, you walk up to it and knock. After a moment, the door opens. You feel the warmth of the house rush out. You try not to melt at the warmth.

"My heavens! You look chilled to the bone. Come in! Come in!" A woman pulls you in the door.

"Thank you.” You feel the warmth, then realize how stiff your body is. As you start to warm up, you feel like your body is on fire.

"Did you get lost?" the woman asks. "Here, take off those soaked clothes, we can have them dry by my fire."

You remove as many sopping clothes as you feel comfortable with. Then the woman hands you a blanket and ushers you close to the fire. You take a few moments to welcome the feeling back to your body. You breathe easier and are grateful for the warmth.

Then you remember she asked a question. "Yes, the path to Lake Vallor was buried under snow, so I lost track of where I was and my phone wouldn't turn on. So I got lost..."

"My! You are lost then. You managed to get to the other side of the woods.” She looks at you with sympathy.

"Oh really? I didn't realize I got that far off the path." You look around the little cabin. "How far of a walk is it back to my trailhead? My car is parked there."

“It's a good hour-long walk.”

You try to hide your grimace at the idea of walking an hour in the cold again.

“But we'll let your clothes dry, so no rush." She smiles like she didn’t notice your grimace, then hands you a hot drink, which you aren't sure when she made.

"Oh, thank you!” The drink continues to thaw you. You sigh, finally feeling the burning sensation die down.

"So tell me, why are you out walking so close to the holidays? Don't ya have family around?"

You look down at your mug. "I do." You take a deep breath. "I Just needed to get away from them all."

The woman smiles at you. "Ah, I see, is your family dysfunctional?”

You shake your head. “Not really, they're just a lot and the holidays are a lot... " You watch the fire. "We are all so busy, with all the running, parties, and events…it all just gets to be a bit much."

The woman smiles at you and rests a hand on your shoulder. “Then enjoy the peace my little cabin brings." She leaves you in front of the fire and seems to disappear. But you don't notice.

Instead, you sit and listen to the fire crackle, watching it dance. You feel your body relax and the tension lessens. You breathe a bit easier. You smile - not the forced smile you've put on for pictures over the last few days, but a real smile.

The holiday craziness wasn’t to be helped though… Your mother had just been trying to make the holiday perfect for everyone. The last few years had been rough for most of the family, and she just wanted to give everyone some childlike wonder. Which was sweet, but it meant a jam-packed holiday.

None of you kids had had the heart to tell her that all you really wanted was a quiet holiday together. Some good food, some classic games, and a gift exchange. But she had arranged shows, light tours, a girl's and boy's night for the sibling groups, and too many big meals. You couldn’t help but feel like your need for peace and quiet had been overlooked.

Maybe your family felt the same way…. But like you, they maybe didn’t feel like they could speak up, for fear of hurting your mom’s feelings. Mom was just trying to be Grandma; Grandma made every holiday special, and last year without her…nobody had wanted to celebrate…so you didn’t. But this year your mom was determined to not have a repeat….

But had it been worth it? Had your mom enjoyed this holiday? You should ask her, maybe she is as tired as you are….

Had she noticed her children's exhaustion? You sigh and feel your smile fall. You could have talked to your mom over the holiday - and not just about the plan for the day, but about how she was really doing.

You sit up straight. Alright, when you get home, you’ll make a warm drink, sit down with your mom and just talk. You smile again. Yeah, that would be good.

You're not sure how much time has passed when…

"You look more relaxed," the woman observes as she comes back into the room.

"I am, thank you." You hand her the mug that you somehow emptied while lost in your thoughts.

“So do you want to talk about how you ended up out in the woods just after the holidays?” She sits on what looks like her favourite chair - it has a basket of knitting next to it.

You pause. She’s a total stranger…but something about her feels familiar, safe even…. So you decided to talk. “My mom just went overkill on the holiday, and I just needed a break.” You look up, expecting a rebuke.

“Ah, that can happen.” She picks up some knitting. “Do you know why she did that? Or is this a yearly affair?”

“New to this year, she was trying to…” You take a breath “...do what Grandma would have done.”

“Ah, those first few holidays are hard without the family backbones.” She smiles softly, and you don’t feel like such a failure. “I imagine she feels like she has to fill a role that was huge to fill.”

You nod. She’s right…and it only validates the idea that you need to talk to your mom.

You happen to look out the window and notice the sun is setting. "Oh, I should get a move on! It's getting dark."

The woman puts a hand on your shoulder. "I'll drive you back to your car. No point in you walking. My old truck will get us there." She picks up a set of keys by the door. "I'll get it started." She slips outside.

You stand and start to gather up all your clothes. As you put on your jacket, you remember your phone in your pocket. You turn it on to find a few messages from your family and a phone call or two from friends. You chuckle to yourself. At least you know they care.

You call your parents, letting them know you’re okay, that you'll be home soon, and that you'll explain when you get there. You send a photo and a brief explanation of your afternoon to a few group chats.

Then the woman comes back in. "Truck’s ready when you are."

As you follow her out to the truck, you can't help but notice the sunset’s beautiful colours painting the sky. You quietly wonder if you will come and visit this woman again…only next time it will be on purpose.

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