Then and Now, A Deer Hunters Story

"At the end, you are but the sum of your life's experiences"
I'm not sure of the exact quote, if it is even a quote or who wrote it. Heck, I might have made it up myself but I don't think I'm that wise :)

It's been some time since I just sat in the woods contemplating my life as I found myself doing in Middletown Springs, VT leaning back against an ancient maple tree watching the sun set this past November. I always though that as I got older there would be more and more time for stuff like this. Boy was I wrong. Unchecked life has a way of propelling you along faster and faster till one day you realize there are lots of things you should have, and wished you had done. The trip that brought me to this spot, on this day is one I'm very glad I took a time-out for.

When I was young as far back as I can remember my dad would make a trip to his beloved State of  Vermont each fall to deer hunt with his old UMV buddies. He would be gone a week or so and it was a big deal for us kids, back in the time before cell phones, waiting for him come home. When at last his pick-up lights turned down the driveway we all rushed out to see if he "Got One". Dad would give everyone in turn a big hug. He would be scruffy, smell of the woods and his "Borkum Riff" pipe tobacco. At 50 I can still close my eyes and smell it on him. Yet as with all things Dad's group dwindled over time and the trips finally came to an end.

Looking back I'm surprised Dad never moved us to Vermont. Growing up we would make frequent road trips from the Berkshires up Route 7 to tour around different parts of the Green Mountain State. I have very fond memories of pancakes at the Copper Kettle and a few trips down an Alpine Slide somewhere. He and Mom are still making trips up there often to this very day. Dad  has and will always love the State of Vermont. 

A few years after him and his buddies stopped their deer hunting trips Dad, my brother Greg and I made a trip or two up there hunting. Was fun listening to Dad tell us all the stories about his hunting adventures and the stupid stuff his buddies did. Greg and I were in our early 20's and were soon off to lives of our own so these trips also soon came to an end. Then not long after I moved here to North Carolina.

Several years ago Greg and Dad began making deer hunting trips up there again. They invited me year after year, but the fall is always a busy time with tournament trails winding down, Panther games, the holidays fast approaching, I never could find, or made the time to go. Not having seen Mom and Dad much the past couple of years and as the fall approached I found myself thinking about them quite a bit, so with the help of my wife, Greg and sister-in-law Cookie I made the time and planned a surprise trip to visit with them in Mass for a couple of days, then go hunting with Dad and Greg in Vermont for the weekend.

Greg and Cookie picked me up at Bradley airport Wednesday evening in a snow storm...brrr. My blood has sure thinned since my childhood in the northeast.  I gave up hunting deer some years ago so I had borrowed clothing, gear and a rifle from friends here in NC and Mass. Barely to the truck in the parking deck I was already digging out a warmer coat....lol. Mom and Dad had no idea I was coming so when the three of us walked in their living room about 8pm I was just hoping I didn't cause Dad to keel over and the family blame me forever. When I came around the corner Mom and Dad just stared at me bewildered for a sec, then they both jumped up and hugged me. The trip was worth it already. Over the next couple of days I got to plow some snow with Dad, eat breakfast with his greasy spoon morning cronies,  do some shopping with Mom and Dad, visit with some family and friends, and look around the old hometown.

Dad, Greg and I left for Vermont on Friday morning. We meandered our way most of the day to the farm we would be hunting. Stopping here and there for food and sightseeing. When we got to the farm the three of us hiked up the hill to show me around a bit and pick out our place to start in the morning. This was a different place than we had hunted years ago. As with many places in Vermont the terrain is both rugged and beautiful. In one pasture on top of a hill you could even see clear across the valley to the Adirondack  Mountains. Was really something. On the way to the motel we stopped by the land owners farmstead. Ended up helping them stack a wagon load of firewood and then bought some of their maple syrup. Man, all these Yankees talk funny :) 

Opening morning found me in the shade of Saw Tooth mountain looking over a picturesque babbling brook and stand of hardwoods. The hunting was fun...cold, but fun. It's been a long time since I've still-hunted and seeing deer both days I found that I had missed it more than I had thought. We spent two wonderful days and nights telling stories, joking around, reminiscing and we even argued over something stupid a time or two. Funny how nothing changed from our hunting trips years ago except the amount of grey hair, our the overall amount of hair missing... 

The best part was seeing Dad walking through the woods. Even without his pipe in the corner of his mouth a multitude of memories washed over me of he and I fishing the Farmington and Konkapot Rivers, chasing Pheasant in Tyringham, Lebanon Valley trips watching and racing, all the wonderful times we have shared. I was blessed growing up with two loving parents, who were both family and my best friends. Was a wonderful two days.

Life has taken me a long way from Otis, Mass. There is not a single day I don't think about Mom and Dad, and am thankful for what they've given me. As I leaned back on that maple tree in the waning sunlight that last evening there I realized though I wouldn't  get a deer, I was given something far greater, a time-out from life spent with my Mom and Dad, which will live in me forever....priceless.