By Reverand George Yandell, Rector
Nancy Womack and I were backpacking in the Smokies in late fall some 37 years ago. We’d hiked up to Parson’s Bald for the first night’s camp. The next day we hiked on the Appalachian Trail over Gregory Bald toward Russell Field. It was a cloudy, cool morning. As we hiked near the bald, we passed under ancient oak trees, their leafless limbs looming above us. Out of nowhere, a great gray owl flew silently onto a gnarled old branch right above us. We stood without moving, as he looked at us and we at him. After a bit, we started hiking slowly past the oak. The owl flew on in front of us and lighted on another high branch above the trail. We approached his perch, and again he sat motionless, watching us. This pattern continued for over 20 minutes. We were the only humans anywhere around and he the only other being we encountered.
After the encounters, we paused in the trail, silent for a bit. As we sipped from our canteens, we grinned at each other, then started laughing with delight, then babbled to each other- “Can you believe…… Did that really happen….. What must he have been thinking….” We agreed it was a series of mystical encounters.
As we resumed hiking, the views from the top of the bald extended limitlessly for 360 degrees. I felt so grateful to be right there with Nancy (my cousin and Godmother). When we got to the Russell Field shelter, we went through the pattern we’d followed so many times before- gather wood, get the fire going, lay out our sleeping bags, walk down to the water pipe in the side of the hill, fill our water bags and canteens, back to the shelter as the mist drifted down, attach our ponchos to the chain-link bear guards at the open side of the shelter to shield us from the wind and rain. Then we sat at the fireside and sipped Merlot as dusk settled in. As far as we knew there were no other humans anywhere near us.
As I recall now, we didn’t talk much through dinner. It felt to me that there was nothing much to say. Then as we slipped into our sleeping bags, Nancy said aloud, “Thank you, George for getting us out on the trail for this incredible day. And thank you God, for the wonder and awe you offered us.” We both said, “Amen,” and drifted off to sleep