That Day at Porter's Creek Story

I subscribe to Gratefulness.org for a daily quote. In the worst throes of this rash thing I had read the quote below, but then inadvertently deleted it. I searched iPad trash, gmail trash on tower, even zoomtown trash. Finally I wrote to them and bless them, they found the quote for me!

Karen Blixen wrote

"All sorrows can be borne if you tell a story about them."

I have returned to blogging because it is good for me and about 10 to 15 people read it, {though regretfully only 2 comment :-( } I have been cogitating how best to use the quote. The story begins in Tennessee as we went to seek Ladies' Slipper orchids in the wild where we had seen them before. The road to Porter Creek is paved at first, then turns to gravel and gets more narrow as you drive along. The parking lot at the end was crowded, but we found a space okay. We had barely gotten out of the car and started up the trail when we came upon and unexpected scene. A large woman was getting down on the ground with professional photographic equipment to get a shot of of a blooming Showy Orchis. I noted how uncomfortable the gravely area looked and the light was lousy, too. I also noted the man with her, and an older woman. Perhaps her mother? Mother had a walker with wheels and the model that also has a seat in case one needs to rest.

Mind you, the trail was not paved, mostly packed gravel. A few hundred feet was uphill, and then rutted with roots and rocks and more gravel. I was glad she got an outing, but sad that she would not make it very far up the trail. My first thought was in reference to myself, "Things could be worse." My second thought corrected my first, "Things could be harder."

 

Bob and I walked on up the trail, me moving more slowly than in years past, but eager to see if the plants were there and if the blooms were open. I realized as we walked that this entire trail is uphill. That means going back to the car is downhill, and not necessarily nice for aging knees! Porter Creek crashed and splashed just below the trail. We were delighted by Showy Orchis, (noted as the prettiest of the over 30 orchids of the Great Smokies)

 

 

wild Crested Dwarf Iris (purple of course) in abundance, and

Fiddlehead ferns unfurling. And these were just the flowers we saw! How many thousands grow up and down those mountains simply for God's pleasure?

Now and then a smaller stream intersected the path on its way to the larger crashing creek. The burbling and gurgling of the water blessed my soul.

We found our marker as to where we should turn off the trail to look for "our Ladies." The locations of these particular wild flowers is not published as people foolishly try to dig up wild orchids. Go figure. They do not transplant and we all lose when their beauty is stolen from the Park.

Yep! There they were, still thriving, but we were 4-5 days early. The blooms were up on some of them, but not open yet. As we walked through the leaf litter I thought I heard the sound of water drops? or sizzling? Nope! It was tiny brown crickets, thousands of them jumping to get out of our way!! We meandered further up the trail enjoying the raucous stream, trillium varieties and marveling at how our memories were preserved and the place unchanged to our eyes. In past years I was able to hike this trail to the top where a house used to be and beyond that where the stream gets rugged and wild over boulders as large as VW bugs. I got no where close to the bridge that crosses the stream at 0.7 mile.

 

Finally, Bob convinced me it was time to turn back and head down the trail to the parking lot. I angled back and forth {left to right to left} over the trail to take some of the pressure off my knees. Imagine my surprise when we turned the corner, right at "our Lady slipper" area and there was the woman with the walker parked next to a large boulder. I was thrilled for her! I spoke to her and said the flowers were up, but not open yet. {The terrain from where she was to where they bloom would have been truly tough with a walker, maybe impossible.} She pointed out to me a flower right on the boulder by my knee. The stem was broken. She asked "Who would do such a thing?" I said, "Perhaps a fool?" I then realized we of more-able-body had totally missed this bloom in our haste to see the other ones! Sadly, I realized perhaps we had broken it?

 

As I was walking away I was compelled to return and tell her that she was an inspiration to me. I almost wept as I spoke to her. I told her briefly about my physical struggles which I knew she could not see. Her progress up the trail was slow, but actually, when I spoke to her she was more cheerful than me. Her ankles were huge with swelling and there was a brace on her lower leg. She posed the question, "What else are we going to do?" I responded "We cope as best we can and go on." As we parted she asked the Lord's blessing on me and I asked Him to be present with her, too.

 

As I walked away The Lord spoke to me again by showing me rocks. A caramel one for the memory of delicious flowers, including Showy Orchis, and a sharp one, for it could be HARDER to see the flowers in years to come, but not impossible.

 

On descent I had a sharp crunch pain in my left foot. I wondered if I could break a toe by just stepping down on it? Decided to assure myself I just probably broke off a bone spur and I'll feel better now. REALLY, I will.

 

Posted with Blogsy