A Knock On the Door

It's a sleepy morning here in the mountains as the rain taps on the metal roof of our home. Birds sing nevertheless and their symphony tells me the weather's not a problem for them. Some mornings when it rains I welcome it, as this morning. Such mornings are cozy and cool and made for getting work done inside. There's always writing, and cooking, and cleaning. These are things that take a back seat when we are hiking. And when it rains it makes me look forward to how lush the trees and grass will look in the coming days. And, of course, on days we're inside I often trace my finger over the memory of our last hikes, and start to plan our next ones.

Atticus and I have never been up Table Mountain and it was recently suggested to me by a friend. I always enjoy a new peak, it brings with it the excitement and trepidation of being someplace for the first time, of having faith the trail will bring you where you need to go and the sights you will see will be well worth the journey. One of the pleasures of a new peak is a new angle on things.

The first 4,000-footer Atticus and I ever climbed was Mount Garfield and we saw it soon after again as we walked along the top of Franconia Ridge. But later that summer, when we came from the east and hiked over North and South Twin, I was stunned by the new angle and view of Garfield. At first I didn't know which dramatic new peak we were looking at. It's a lot like seeing a friend in a new light, an exciting light. It's his or her beauty in a way you’re completely unaccustomed to. So next week we'll do Table Mountain and see what treasures await us.

But first we'll be taking a trip up Black Cap in North Conway. It's a simple hike...an easy hike. At 2,369 feet it offers great views but the trail to the top is relatively easy since you can drive up Hurricane Mountain Road and get all but about 500 feet of elevation gain out of the way. And the walk is relatively short. It's about two and a half miles for the round trip. It's so easy that we often do it for our morning or afternoon walk without planning ahead.

So why would I be looking forward to doing Black Cap in the near future? Why would I be planning ahead for something that doesn't typically take much planning?

Well, one of the pleasures I have in being in the mountains and knowing them as well as Atticus and I do is on occasion we have the ability to introduce a stranger to them and I love to see the transformation, no matter how temporary or lasting it is, come over the face of one who has never been here. And Black Cap is a perfect introductory hike. After all, there are some who might not be able to do anything more than this and its astounding views allow that new soul to be renewed without too much effort. Sometimes it's enough to plant a seed to make someone wish for me, and at other times it's simply more beautiful than anything else they've ever seen and that’s enough in itself.

In our case, the latter is most likely true.

You see, Atticus and I are getting ready to introduce and elderly fellow to the mountains. He's from New Jersey and in all his years he's never been here. I don't think he can do much but I'm hoping we can get him to the top of Black Cap so he can look through the clouds of his cataracts and see the views he's never seen before. Now that will be a gift he'll never forget. He'll feel as though he's been born again and his world will change - as do all of ours when we see the world from the top of a mountain for the first time.

There is another reason I'm enjoying today's rain - there's much to be done to get ready for our house guest. You see, the life Atticus and I lead is about to change a great deal.

This week, on our Following Atticus Facebook page, a friend posted that since we now have 6,000 'friends' following our journey on-line on a daily basis, she wondered if someone could possibly help out another who was down on his luck and homeless. His name is William and he's a fifteen year old miniature schnauzer who was dropped off at a kill shelter in New Jersey. Now if you know shelters, a fifteen year old doesn't stand much of a chance of being adopted so William's prospects didn't look so good. Seems the gentleman that had him for all of those years could no longer take care of himself or William so I imagine he did the only thing he knew to do and dropped William off at the shelter. Not even sure if he knew William would be put to sleep if no one took him.

Fortunately for William, and for us, the New Jersey Schnauzer Rescue Network swooped in and William was given a reprieve.   

Funny how life changes, isn't it? One moment you’re doing one thing and have no plans to do anything out of the ordinary, but suddenly there's a knock on the door and everything changes. In my case it wasn’t a knock on the door so much as on my heart. Ah, but isn’t that how all great adventures begin?  

This weekend Atticus and I are driving south to pick up aged William and we're bringing him to live out his days in our home. When a friend heard what I planned to do she said, "What? Are you nuts? It will be a very sad situation, Tom. At this age all he has to look forward to is heart problems, cancer, and incontinence. It will be nothing but sadness for you."

I suppose she may be right - well, about all but the last part. I'm sure there will ultimately be sadness, but there will be many other things in between now and then as well. And one of those things will be to see old William's face when he meets the mountains of New Hampshire, when he hears the birds sing, smells the clean air, and sits atop a mountain, even if I have to carry him to the top of it.

You see, I believe it's never too late to live. And I have to believe that William, no matter what he's come from, deserves something special from this day on – just as we all do.