Remembering a day…

+ *Tygerscent* · April 11, 2023

Here’s an article about a guy I met back in the 80’s~
It was my first trip away from home and before I went to explore the Peruvian alps and walk the Inca trial( three month trek)~
I started the adventure in Wisconsin with the goal of reaching Yellowstone National.
Along the way I stopped in South Dakota and bought a 4 point red and black wool blanket made by indigenous locals…
I was otherwise dressed for summer as it was Indian summer back in Wisconsin.
When I arrived at the Laramie river in Wyoming, it was 90° and I went skinny-dipping in it.
The next day it dropped down to 30 and the following day it dropped down to -10. I only had that blanket. (It has a permanent place in my current vehicle).
With a shadow of confidence and bad breaks the journey began in a vintage ‘79 GMC Vandura: a shell of a vehicle… no power windows or power locks. An ugly mint metallic green~ Hideous but, affordable and easy to repair~
I had very little food and very little money but, great determination to break away from the micro reality of the small town I was born and raised in~
Driven by the threat of frostbite and hunger I made it into the Yellowstone lodge cafe and bought a single over easy egg and piece of toast. The other guests plates looked so full in comparison… My mood and my heart were as cold and quite as the snow falling outside~
You eat slower when you can count on one hand the number bites left of your weeks meals on a single plate~ I took my time there in the cafe but, finally had to forfeit my space at the counter to registered guests~
so, I snuck into the building where the guest rooms were stationed thinking maybe I could find a recently vacated room where I could slip into quietly and indulge in a dreamy, steamy shower.
If so happens that there is a large sauna inside the lodge for guests~ With the luck of fortune and fate, I stumbled into it, entered and there happened the chance acquaintance of Hawk McGuinness.
He had a long white beard, looked like Santa Claus but, quite fit for the North Pole Clause of our childhood but… He was situated on a bench and naked~ I was young and awkward in his nakedness~ Guarded. Intimidated. Shy~
I was so cold but, the sauna was so
Warm~
We sat there silently… me shivering and he occasionally looking my way~
In a gentle and kind way he extended conversation to me. My Inner chill began to thaw… Stray dogs are not often trusting~
His genuine concern for my well being and his jovial self confidence gained my trust and we exchanged our life adventures chapter by chapter over the course of several hours.
It gave me a chance to warm up. Not just my body but, my soul really with his company.
We talked about his Goal to walk across all of the United States. We talked about why he wanted to do that. Easy inspiration was his full life to my beginning one~ The experience was profound~
He commended me on my spirit of adventure and determination. I wasn’t aware I had either… but, I did…
Originally, I had saved up money to go to school in Japan. There’s a school called Washida but, I never made it to Japan because I couldn’t master the language properly. So, instead, I redirected my interests to South America where I eventually found myself befriending some local Quechua and exploring the mountains of Peru.
I made this trip to Wyoming before my trip to Perú because I’d really never left home and the idea of being so far away was very intimidating to me at the time. Personally debilitating at best.
I met Hawk in September and then went to Perú in October. I was supposed to meet a group and leader named Eric from a company called Adventures Unlimited but, nobody showed up and I was in Perú by myself, unable to speak either Quechua or Spanish but, I learned really quickly to speak enough of both to get by~ upon arrival, I met Judy Whites and Barbara Johnson who both worked for the US embassy. They saw me in the train station, and I apparently looked lost and confused enough that they approached me. With great concern they took my information down, gave me theirs and told me that if in three months they didn’t hear from me, they would send people out to look for me~ (Context: the Sendero Luminosos, a menacing and dangerous guerrilla presence there was quite prevalent at the time~ I actually did encounter them on a bus~ Met by gunpoint, they forced us all off the bus, hands up over our heads and then told to lay down on the ground and told to look away. They took all the food on the bus and then grabbed four shadow stached local boys to induct into their army, the basic idea being non compliance means they shoot everybody on the bus. Once they had taken what they wanted, they told us to get back on the bus, drive away and not look back~ We did not question~).
I also met Julio and Salemo, two Quechua lads around 17 years old, who offered to guide me through the wilderness of Peru~ Julio spoke English and they together were willing to teach me Spanish and consequently Quechua~ We had energy and proximal age in common~ So, still vibing on the shimmer awe of the Hawk McGinness encounter, I accepted their offer~ The following day we embarked on an adventure of a lifetime~
  Over the course of two months, Julio and Salemo showed me how to catch Trout from the Urubamba River using a swig, braided hair and a stick… we foraged for sugar cane and fruits~ They taught me which foods to eat and not as we trekked across the mountains, eventually crashing a British Archaeological dig of newly discovered Inca settle my, (stayed for five days: food for labor provisions), and later linked up to the Inca Trail.
It was a turning point in my life.
Thank You Hawk McGinness~ You are a life lover and a life saver~ My life and others would be less without you~
So, this evening, I was thinking about Hawk and I went looking for him on the Internet and found these two articles about him. He had a big beard when I met him~
I thought you might enjoy his story…
If you have, or have had some profoundly influential person(s) in your life, post here.
It would be great to hear your experiences~
Hugs,
Tyger~

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