Journal Entry 6…SURPRISE!

We arrived in Flagstaff Arizona just in time for the temperature to drop and the snow to start falling. We saw snow in January at Panama City Beach, and now in Arizona! I never would have guessed I’d see snow in either place, but we love it! Living in Georgia my whole life, I can count on my hands how many times I’ve played in snow. Our family and friends are currently record deep in the yellow powder of Spring pollen, and the high for us today was 34 degrees. The snow has been a beautiful surprise.

Mike and I decided to drive to Coconino National Forest. We brought several layers of coats in case we decided to walk, but we would be satisfied to just enjoy the drive. As we left the city and started seeing the gorgeous ponderosa pines on either side of the road, it started snowing again. In Georgia, schools close, and even some businesses will send employees home early if there is even a hint of ice. But I learned northern Arizona gets a whopping 10 feet a year, so they’re prepared. The roads were clear as the fat snowflakes fell. It’s truly foreign for me to take a leisurely drive in the snow. In the south, I’m getting home before sleet starts to hit the windshield, gripping the wheel at 10 and 2, ready if the car hydroplanes. But today, there was a quiet peace within my soul as I watched the snowflakes dance in the wind. After a few miles, Mike pulled into a small parking lot surrounded by forest. “Wanna get out and walk a little?” Mike asked. “Absolutely!” I replied. The parking lot was empty as we got out of the truck and bundled into our heavy winter coats, hats, and gloves. I hurried over to the little hut where one might have found an elevated toilet seat over a hole in the ground. As I approached the tiny closet, I saw a 2×4 hammered across the door with a sign reading, “Closed for the season”. Whispering a curse under my breath, I looked around. Seeing nothing but me and Mike, I went behind the wall, dropped my pants, and assumed the crouched position over the snow-covered earth. This wasn’t the first time we had been on a trail without a restroom, and I’ve become accustomed to squatting when necessary. It’s not proper, but with the water I had been drinking all morning pressing on my bladder, I didn’t have a choice.

Neither of us had ever experienced walking in a snow-covered forest. The ground was white (other than the spot where I crouched). Winter covered almost everything, with scattered pinecones and fallen limbs peeking out beneath a white blanket. Other than one set of footprints in front of us, there didn’t seem to be a single witness to this wonderland. “Maybe we should have brought the gun.” Mike said as we saw the footprints abruptly stop and turn around. We are always talking about what we should have brought, and the single footprints had both of us thinking about safety. We discarded the thoughts of a potential threat and continued down the short trail. By the time we reached the truck, our shoulders were covered in snow, and our jeans moist from the damp air. We spoke on the phone with Sara as we warmed up, still watching the beauty of the forest. It soon stopped snowing, and the sun began to shine beams of light between the trees. Hanging up with Sara, we went out on the trail once more. Since the snow and wind had stopped, I didn’t bundle up in as many layers. Looking to get his 10,000 steps in for the day, Mike asked if I wanted to take the longer trail. With fewer layers on, it was a hard “No” for me. “You go ahead; I’ll wait in the truck.” Just then, the parking lot peeked over the hill, and I could see a splash of red from another vehicle.

“Nevermind” Mike said, “There’s someone else here.”

“So what, I know how to scream. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’ll wait in the truck. I’ve got my book with me; you go ahead.”

Mike said, “Wait…come ‘ere.” With a hesitant look on his face, he kissed me goodbye and turned left with an open field ahead of him. “I won’t be long.”

The parking lot disappeared as the path wound around the trees and reappeared as I approached from the opposite side of the boarded-up bathroom. I no longer saw another vehicle and figured they must have just been turning around in the lot when we saw it moments earlier. Nature was calling once again, and with no one appearing to be around, I assumed the squat position again beside the hut. As I came around the corner buttoning my pants, I almost ran into the chest of a large man. I screamed as if my life depended on it, alerting Mike that I was in trouble. My eyes adjusted before I finished screaming, and I realized it was Mike’s 6-foot-5 son Ray…from Georgia…in the middle of the woods…IN ARIZONA! My scream turned into a squeal of delight, and I threw my arms out to hug him; still baffled by who was before me, and grateful I wasn’t about to die. I screamed as loud as I could, “I’M OKAY!”, so Mike wouldn’t think I was being kidnapped. Just in case he didn’t hear me, I sent him a text that said I was alright. Ray had decided to surprise us, driving for 2 days to visit us and his good friend PJ, who lives nearby. His rental car was completely behind our truck, and I couldn’t even see the tires from the side of the lot where I had approached. Mike and his family have what they call a stalker app on their phones that lets them know exactly where the others are in case of an emergency. When Ray got close to our camp, he called Sara to check the stalker app. She told him where we were, so he headed to the park as she called to snoop for details from us exactly what we were doing. She called Ray warning not to scare us as her husband Jeremy said in the background, “Too bad you don’t have a sasquatch costume!” As I was cackling with Ray about the surprise, we did not hear Mike yell for me. After he heard me scream and didn’t hear my text ping, he had taken off, running to my aid, skipping the trail to come to my rescue. I can only imagine the fear that must have been going through him. As he came through the trees, he could see me getting into the driver’s seat of the truck with a man in the passenger seat. As I looked at the woods, I could see my husband in the distance, busting through the trees with terrible fear and confusion on his face. He later said he thought “that kidnapping terrorist getting in the truck looks like Ray.”

Needless to say, we laughed for the rest of the night about how the reunion unfolded. Calling Sara back to let her know Ray found us, she stated, “I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I could see Dad on the app running off the trail towards Ray’s phone.”

I’m now settled into bed. Ray is on the pull-out sofa in the living room, and my wonderful hero husband is asleep next to me. I love surprises. I’m just thankful my bladder was empty, and my pants were all the way back up when it happened!