Off the Beaten Path

This story, like all my stories, really happened. At this day and age, about fifty years have gone by. Looking back and then looking forward, I had no idea I would write my stories down and it would still be interesting after all these years.

I was tracking a big deer and came on a little clearing at a tree line laid a small wind fallen moss-covered log. At one end of it had a sleeping rabbit. So I raised my rifle to shoot and noticed on the other end was a sleeping grouse. They both were pretty good, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted, so I left them to their morning nap unharmed. I know what I was looking at was very rare and that I would probably never see that again.

After fifty years of running around in the woods, I still haven't seen that again.

It's amazing that when I see certain things in the mountains and know right then and there it is a onetime honor to see what I have seen. I think it is a gift from God.