Johnny E. Mahaffey
September 18, 2017

The Novelist Portent

SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS

One of the things about being stuck in here, is the absence of Nature. When I grew up in Seneca, and around Clemson, taking certain roads would reveal the Blue Ridge Mountains off on the horizon; and getting to them was a simple drive.
I can't put a number to the days spent just wandering around the roads, paved, gravel, and some just worn down trails of red clay. I fell in love with mountain biking, and made it a ritual of trying to bike every Saturday morning--from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM, on hardcore trails. But I never did find me a girl that was into it. I had one ex that bought a bike---just like mine--and rode with me once, but only once. If we HAD made it a regular thing; it probably would've helped us in the long run. Who knows? I had an ex-wife that rode with me once, unofficially borrowing the ex's left behind bike; and she actually kept up with me. She'd grown up riding a bike, not a mountain bike, but still, the abilities she's acquired transferred easily. I was impressed, and it wasn't long after that we'd gotten married. But, again, we too, only went the one time. We should've made it a regular thing.
One ex, that I was with when I was still a teen-we didn't bike, but we did drive all over. Taking every back-road we could find, and driving until it came out somewhere.
Being out in that mountain air did wonders.
It's something I wanted to enjoy with my kids when they got a little older too--but, I ended up in here. Maybe, if I get out one day, I won't be injured or out of shape in any way to prevent me from returning to those mountains. I'd like to have shown my kids Whitewater Falls, maybe I still can, or maybe one day it'll be grandkids I take, with my grown kids. I'll be happy with either.
There's something about the areas at the lower edges of the Blue Ridge Mountains, that calls to me. It could just be my familiarity with all of it--but, I'd like to think it's more than that. I'll never be able to go back in time and revisit those moments. And, I may never find a female companion to join me on wilderness excursions. But, I'd like to keep thinking it's all possible.