Medicinal Mountain Magic

Frank leaned forward to balance the weight of the pack as he stopped to catch his breath. He had left the Gold Creek trailhead at 6:30 A.M. that morning and had covered 12 miles of rough mountain trail since then. He was now only 100 yards or so from the top of Haden Pass. That's where the worst part began: a two-mile cross-country jaunt up the mountain with a 2,200' vertical climb before he got to his destination.

After a short breather he straightened up, took a deep breath and continued to plod up the grade. When he got to the top of the pass, he kept watch for the small petroglyph of a peace symbol that had been scraped into a boulder as a marker. He finally spotted it and stepped off the trail. He pulled out his compass and checked the heading. He snapped it shut, dropped it into his pocket, sighed and slowly headed off up the mountainside.

He was tired. The last time he had been this way, 20 years before, it had been different. He and his wife had made the entire hike in less time than it had taken him today to get to the top of the pass. As he plodded along, he thought about her: about the hikes they had done, about her dark auburn red hair, about her laying nude on the grass in the meadow where he was headed, a sly grin on her face as she crooked her finger at him, beaconing him to her.

As he hiked, half his mind was on the terrain, avoiding rocks, making sure each step was solid on the steep mountain slope and just putting one foot in front of the other. The other half was filled with 25 years of memories. He finally came out of his memory induced walking trance as he recognized the rock wall, the last obstacle between him and the meadow.

He stopped only long enough to catch his breath, then began to climb the 20' almost vertical wall. When he finally pulled himself over the top he stopped and surveyed the small isolated pocket in front of him. He stood at the edge of a tiny meadow covered in grass and wildflowers, with bushes along the tiny stream that flowed down one edge. The land sloped gently upward away from him for a hundred yards. At the far end he could see the water from the spring-fed pool glistening in the sunlight at the base of another rock wall.

He trudged on to the pool and stopped at the edge. It was just like it had been the last time he was here. A tiny waterfalls fell from a spring hidden in the rocks, splashing into the crystal clear water of the pool. The grass of the meadow grew right up to the edge of the water. It was green and soft underfoot. Anyone who saw it would have sworn it had been groomed like a lawn. Frank knew that in way it had been groomed. The deer and mountain goats loved the lush grass around the pool and kept it grazed short. On the far side of the pool was a flat sandy area backed by the rock wall and just big enough for a couple of tents.

Frank walked around the pool and stopped on the sand, looking it over. There was a ring made from cracked, fire-blackened rocks. Frank could tell it hadn't been used in quite some time because grass had covered the fire area inside the circle. He groaned as he unbuckled his hip belt and swung his pack off, leaning it against the rock face.

It was late summer and even at this altitude it was very warm. He was hot and sweaty, so the first thing he did was kneel next to the pool and splash water onto his face. The first time he had done that, many years before, he expected the water to be cold, thinking it should be because it came down from the glacier up the mountain. It wasn't. The spring was fed by the melt from the glacier but was also mixed with water from a hot-spring deep inside the mountain, so it was very warm. He finished washing the sweat from his face then stood and looked at the sun. It was two finger-widths above the mountain top. He knew he would be in shadow shortly so he decided to get his camp set up and firewood gathered before it was too dark for him to do so. He worked steadily and had his tent up and bed laid out in short order. He pulled the hatchet he carried out of his pack and headed back down to a grove of stunted Alpine firs he had passed just before he got to the rock wall. He cut enough dead branches for several fires, thinking he would cut more the next day, then carried what he had cut back to his campsite.

When he was done, he laid a fire in the pit but didn't light it, preferring to wait until dark. He stood and quickly took off his sweat-stained clothes, pulled a bar of soap out of his pack, picked up his cooking pot and without hesitation stepped into the water. The pool was only waist deep. Frank began to scrub his clothes on the rock shelf at the edge of the pool as he stood in the warm water.

Done scrubbing them, he scooped up water with his cooking pot and used it to rinse his clothes on the grass at the edge of the pool. When he was finished, he laid them on a rock and with a sigh, fell backward into the water. He floated in the pool, staring up at the sky thinking about his wife, their life together and how he was now all alone.

After ten minutes he climbed out, soaped himself, then used his pot to rinse his body. When he was through, he sat on the rock ledge at the edge of the pool his legs in the water as he let the droplets from his bath evaporate from his skin. By the time he was dry the sun had dropped well behind the mountains and he knew it was time. He pulled the plastic container out of his pack and slowly walked to the middle of the meadow. He unscrewed the lid and looked at the contents.

"We're here." He said, "Like you wanted."

In the fading purple light of deep sunset, a tear slid down his cheek as he began to toss handfuls of the contents into the air. The air had been still, but as he tossed the first handful a breeze sprang up and carried the gray dust out over the meadow. Five times he tossed handfuls into the air and five times the breeze scattered the dust over the meadow. He held the last small handful for a long time before casting it into the air. A breeze flitted past his ear before gathering the dust and gently spreading it over the meadow.

"I know it took me six months but since you died the day after Christmas, I had to wait for summer to bring you up here. I love you." He whispered as he turned and carefully walked back to his campsite, unable to see clearly because of the tears filling his eyes.

He hadn't put on clothes because no one else was around and the chill of the evening wouldn't set in for a while. He lit the fire and went about making a meal. After he had eaten and cleaned his dishes, he sat staring into the fire, his mind once more full of thoughts of his wife and the pain of losing her. The sky was ablaze with stars, but he didn't want to look at them. He stared into the flame of the fire instead as it slowly burned down. When it had burned to embers, he sighed and climbed into his tent. Even with all the exertion of the day, it took him a long while to fall asleep.

He woke as the first rays of sunlight hit his tent. When he climbed out the morning chill made him shiver. He quickly built a fire and sat close for a few minutes, then stripped off his clothes and slipped into the warm, steaming pool. After the chill of the high mountain morning air, the warmth of the water felt pleasant on his skin. He sat staring out over the meadow to the mountains in the distance trying to quiet the ache inside him. After a bit, he got out and made breakfast. As he ate, he saw movement at the foot of the meadow. A fox stepped out of the scrub brush and stopped broadside to him. It put its nose up as if tasting the scent of something. It stood that way for several seconds, then with the fluid motion of a hunter, it disappeared back into the brush. Frank walked out and stood in the meadow for a long time, memories playing through his head.

"I will love you always." He said aloud, a catch in his voice as he did.

He turned and with a heavy step walked back to his campsite. Frank sat down next to the pool and for a long time stared out over the meadow in an almost catatonic state. Finally, a pang of hunger shook him from his fugue. He ate two of his energy bars then decided to get back into the pool for a soak.

The sun was touching the top of the far mountains as he sat in the warm water, again contemplating the snow on their peaks, trying to push away the pain, trying to force his mind into a blank state. As he sat staring at the mountains, he heard the faint clatter of a falling rock, then the unmistakable, distinct tinkle of a bear bell. A figure with a pack climbed up over the rock wall at the foot of the meadow and stood up. Even from 100 yards away Frank could tell the stranger was a young woman. He stared at her as she surveyed the meadow, stopping as her gaze fell on his tent. She started to walk toward him and Frank realized she would be there quickly. A moment later he also remembered he was naked. He jumped out of the pool, grabbed his clothes, hastily pulling them on as he watched her approach.

He guessed her to be in her mid-twenties. She was no more than five feet tall or a bit more and because of her hourglass shape he guessed she probably weighed 105 or 110 lbs. The thing that startled him though, the one thing that dug into his gut was her hair. It was red, the same deep auburn red his wife's had been.

When she was close enough, he called out, "Hi. I didn't know anyone else knew about this place."

She looked up and smiled at him. As she did, he was smacked by the color of her eyes. They were the same seafoam green color his wife Eva's eyes had been.

She replied to his greeting, "Hi. I was told about it and given a map to get here. I was also told that there were only a few people who knew about this place and everyone who did were sworn to secrecy."

As she dropped her pack Frank thought of the few people he had told, or knew about it and asked, "Who was it that told you about it?"

"Carl Glassen." She replied.

On the wings of memory Frank was instantly transported back to the first year of his marriage. Carl had been a friend and he, Frank, Eva, and Carl's girlfriend at the time Sarah, had discovered this glen while attempting to climb to the glacier on the peak above them. He and Eva had lost contact with Carl a year after that hike when Carl was sent overseas by his employer.

Frank grinned as the memories floated through his mind and said, "I knew Carl."

The young redhead smiled and replied, "He was a neighbor and a friend."

As she spoke Frank thought that Carl must have trusted her to tell her about the pool.

"Carl gave you the map," Frank said, more a vocalized thought than a statement.

"Yes," she replied, then took a drink from her canteen before she added, "Before he died, he wanted to pass on the location of this place to someone."

"Carl's . . . dead?" Frank asked, stunned.

"Cancer. They say it was caused by Agent Orange. From the war."

Again, Frank was carried by memory back over the years, back to his time in country. Time spent in fear, shooting, getting shot at, hiding in bunkers as mortar rounds and rockets exploded around him, eating cold food, sleeping in the mud with rats, but most of all being sprayed with the diesel smelling defoliant. A chill ran down his back at the thought of what could be going on inside him. Then another chill accompanied by a sharp stab of emotional pain coursed through him.

As Eva lay dying of cancer, he remembered screaming into the night, "WHY??? Why her??? Take me! It should be me!!!!"

"I am sorry." Frank said as he realized he hadn't introduced himself, "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm F. . . . "

She held up her hand, "Don't tell me! Let me guess."

She screwed up her face as if she was concentrating, "You're...a.w...Frank! Frank Carlin!"

Frank looked startled, "That's right! We've never met so how did you know?"

"Carl showed me a black and white picture of you, your wife, him and his girlfriend. You don't look much different."

Frank smiled, pleased by her compliment, then caught the reference to 'his girlfriend'.

"Carl didn't marry Sarah?"

"No. Carl told me they split up a year after that picture was taken. He never got married. He said it was because of his job and traveling so much."

The girl smiled and held out her hand, "It's nice to meet you Frank. My name is Megan, Megan Larsen, for a while anyway."

Frank took her hand, "For a while?"

"I'm . . . uh . . . I'm getting a divorce and I'll be taking my maiden name again."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Frank said as he released her hand.

"Is your wife here with you? I'd like to meet her."

Franks face filled with pain, "I . . . my wife couldn't make it. I came alone."

"Well perhaps when we get back, we can meet."

"I don't think so." then added softly, "She died."

"I'm so sorry. I know how it feels to lose someone close."

Frank nodded, "She died six months ago of cancer. It should have been me. I was over there too and got that stuff dumped on me. But it didn't kill me, yet. It should have, but she...she...was the one who got cancer instead."

Megan could see the pain in his eyes and on impulse she walked to him and hugged him tightly.

"I am so sorry."

At first Frank was comforted, but a heart-beat later he became aware of the young, nubile body pressed against him. Because Eva had been so frail during her illness, he hadn't had sex for over a year and a half and even at 48 the feel of Megan's body pressed against him caused an involuntary reaction. Before he could think about it, his cock came alive forming a lump in his loose hiking shorts. He pulled away from Megan, stepped back and quickly turned his back so she couldn't see the front of his shorts.

He spoke to her over his shoulder as he moved toward his camp area, "There's room for another tent if you want to put one up."

There was a glint in her eye and the corner of her lips tilted upward in a half-smile, "I didn't bring a tent. I prefer to sleep under the stars. Besides the weather forecast said there won't be any rain for the next week or so."

He busied himself with setting an evening fire, making sure he kept his back to Megan as he did to hide the receding bulge in his shorts. The embarrassment caused by his erection began to make it wilt as he worked. After a short time, it was back to a flaccid state so he walked over to where Megan was setting out her sleeping bag.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What?"

"Well, first thing is I'd be happy to share my fire if you'd like."

She smiled," I'd love too!"

"Next thing is, did Carl tell you about the pool?"

"He never would tell me much more than it was a crystal-clear pool from a spring. He said I'd find out about it when I got here and I'd be pleasantly surprised."

"Well rather than tell you, come put your hand in it."

Megan looked at him puzzled, then walked over and dipped her hand into the pool.

"It's warm! Very warm! That's crazy!" as a huge grin spread across her face.

"Yes, it is. It's fed by a hot spring inside the mountain. It's fun too just to sit in. The problem is I like to do it, you know...uh...naked. If you would like to do that too, perhaps we could you know...kind of give each other some private time?"

"Frank!" Megan said with a laugh, "You old hippy you! Naked you say?"

Frank was startled by her reply and went on the defensive, "Well I do and I don't see anything wrong with it!"

"Okay, okay, don't get your feathers ruffled." Megan said with a grin, "I was teasing you! Of course, I will give you some privacy but I'll tell you I have no problem with nudity. It wouldn't shock me to take a naked dip with you."

Frank was stunned. Here was a gorgeous young woman telling him she wouldn't mind skinny dipping with him! He knew he'd love to, but he also knew that the first time he laid eyes on her naked, he would have another raging erection.

"Well...I'll...I'll think about that." He said.

She grinned as she replied, "Please do. It would make it a lot more comfortable and easier for both of us."

Megan got her sleeping bag laid out and wandered over to the fire pit.

"I think I'll take a dip." She said as she started to unbutton her shirt.

Frank knew they had plenty of wood for the night but needed an excuse to flee, "I think we need more wood. I'm going over the wall to find some. I'll be gone for an hour."

"Frank you really don't have to..." Megan began but by then was talking to his back as he headed across the meadow toward the wall.

Frank returned an hour later with a huge armload of wood. Megan was laying on her bag soaking in the sun as he walked up the meadow. To his relief, she was clothed. He dropped the wood onto the pile next to the fire pit.

Megan sat up and said, "Frank I told you, nudity doesn't bother me so you can stay when I soak in the pool."

Frank knew he was going to have to explain so he came over and squatted down facing her, "Eva died 6 months ago. She was sick and frail for a year before that. I haven't had sex in all that time. It isn't that I'm embarrassed to be naked around you. The problem is you are a very lovely young lady and I might get...well...excited seeing you without clothes."

"Like when I hugged you?" Megan asked with a sly grin.

For an instant Frank was stunned, then embarrassment filled him, "You saw?"

"No, I felt." She said with a giggle, "You had a pretty big lump in your shorts before you pulled away from me."

"My god I am so sorry Megan!" Frank replied, mortified by the fact she had felt his erection.

"I wasn't offended. In fact I was kind of flattered."

"Flattered?" puzzlement filling his face.

"Yes flattered. After Mark, my soon to be ex, left me for another man I was feeling pretty low and unattractive so for a man to get an erection from just hugging me is an ego boost."

Frank stared at her and with a stunned expression asked, "He left you..for another man???"

Megan's expression turned serious, "Yes. He and the other guy had been having sex for a year before Mark left me. He wouldn't touch me during that time so I understand about you not having sex for so long."

"Why didn't you find someone to have a fling with?"

"Because I was married. I wasn't going to cheat. Even though he did I wouldn't. So with your wife sick why didn't you find a lover?"

Frank stared at the distant peaks as he spoke, "Because like you I was married and I didn't want to cheat on her. We had a really good sex life before she got sick. After she got sick, I knew she wanted to, but couldn't. Actually, she asked me too on one occasion. We tried it that time. It was early on but I could tell it hurt her so I couldn't finish. After that I told her we wouldn't ever do it again until she was better. Later when she was really sick she told me to go find a lover. I told her I wouldn't do it again unless it was with her. Just before she died she told me that after she was gone I was to find a lover and if I didn't she'd come back and haunt me. She didn't need to tell me that, her memories haunt me every day."

Megan stared at Frank she saw a man in pain, a tortured man who couldn't find a way out of the pain. As she stared at him, she realized he wasn't ugly either. In fact, he was quite handsome, in a mature way. Then it hit her he was her father's age and she had always loved her father, not in a sexual way but as a warm compassionate man, much like Frank appeared to be.

But he also reminded her of Carl. She had been attracted to her handsome neighbor. As a world traveler and single all his life Carl was quite a charmer. She was sure that because he was a friend of her fathers he never made a sexual advance toward her. Several times in her younger years though she had thought about trying to get her handsome neighbor to do so, but she was always too nervous to try. Frank shared the rugged good looks and intelligence of her father and Carl. She realized that she was definitely attracted to Frank and as she stared at him that attraction seemed to grow.