Harold! Are you still alive???

Harold, my father liked you so much, but you never respected him, and you left him when things were hard. You did.

One day, word got back to you, Harold, that my father had passed and you called me. You did, Harold. I told you of his last days, when I was with him...not you, but me. I cried. I never cry, but I did that day. I said I would take his ashes up to Sweetwater Gap, Wyoming in the high Wind River Range (his favorite place), and you said you wanted to go, Harold. You did say that...Harold. You did.

But when the time came to come to climb the impossible mountain in the Wind Rivers, Harold, you weren't there. You weren't

You were busy divorcing your wife of 50 years and sailing on your boat out in Seattle, but you weren't there, Harold; you said you would be, but you weren't.

Back in the day it took weeks to set up the camp, on mules and horseback, but we would go that one night, up, into Jeep territory, where we would almost roll the Jeep so many times I can't count, and then there was Block and Tackle Hill, but we did make it, we did. All those 4x4 magazines which said "Block & Tackle" was impossible,...yeah, we did it that night, but you weren't there, Hal, you weren't!

Yeah, we got stuck, but amazingly we got stuck up on top. Yeah, my winch was under water, Hal, it was...you f'ing loser!. I cut down about (8) trees that day, and you weren't there. Why? Because I was going to get to this one spot, and no matter what, I was going there!

Winched my truck though the deepest mud. Gawd, I could go on, but this story is epic.

Never give up!

Dedication, perseverance. And fortitude are in short supply these days.

You have em all in spades. Please do is a a favor as a country and start a youth
camp.

We don't have enough cowboys/woodsman/real humans left to teach these days...

Something to consider.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Harold, my father liked you so much, but you never respected him, and you left him when things were hard. You did.

One day, word got back to you, Harold, that my father had passed and you called me. You did, Harold. I told you of his last days, when I was with him...not you, but me. I cried. I never cry, but I did that day. I said I would take his ashes up to Sweetwater Gap, Wyoming in the high Wind River Range (his favorite place), and you said you wanted to go, Harold. You did say that...Harold. You did.

But when the time came to come to climb the impossible mountain in the Wind Rivers, Harold, you weren't there. You weren't

You were busy divorcing your wife of 50 years and sailing on your boat out in Seattle, but you weren't there, Harold; you said you would be, but you weren't.

Back in the day it took weeks to set up the camp, on mules and horseback, but we would go that one night, up, into Jeep territory, where we would almost roll the Jeep so many times I can't count, and then there was Block and Tackle Hill, but we did make it, we did. All those 4x4 magazines which said "Block & Tackle" was impossible,...yeah, we did it that night, but you weren't there, Hal, you weren't!

Yeah, we got stuck, but amazingly we got stuck up on top. Yeah, my winch was under water, Hal, it was...you f'ing loser!. I cut down about (8) trees that day, and you weren't there. Why? Because I was going to get to this one spot, and no matter what, I was going there!

Winched my truck though the deepest mud. Gawd, I could go on, but this story is epic.

Never give up!

This might help!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Family?? Well, what can you do??

I know. I recently found out that I stranded my younger half sister with a burden she should have never party too but was. I am a POS for thinking of just myself and leaving a sh# storm at home as I thought that they would never know.

Some 30 years later... well, I was right to leave. But had I known then what I found out two weeks ago... I never would have stayed away so long!



Harold doesn’t seem to be trying. As I told my sister, “It is OK. You did what you could at that time. [It is other people’s choices that are wrong]. But it is passed. And you are OK to be angry....”

So cowboy, family is still family. It is OK to be mad, or even wish a fellow member death... until it happens. Then all that and the frustration slides away...

And you end up feeling like an a-hole for your lack of patience.

Life is long. Some people surprise you. Others confirm every inkling of a bad feeling that you ever had.

Somewhere in there is a... uh... not so extreme, judgemental place that is good enough for both parties (on the same side).

Otherwise you never talk to your dad again for over 20 years as he lies dying a few short miles away in a hospital bed. (And yeah, I am totally glad I did not go! He won his place in Hell. My absolution not withstanding).

If OK to be angry, and disappointed, and feel a loss of love, but if that is you, and if Harold is anything like you, maybe he feels the same way for other reasons (like he doesn’t want to face the truth).

Or he is a-hole worthy of your scorn and ridicule!!

The good times were good and it is all about navigating the bad!

Clean the saddle, wash the horse, sweep the floors, you are doing fine; you can explain yourself, your feelings (to us random idiots), and have out paced Harold in the “Better Man” race.

It’s OK!

You got this!’



PS - I needed those words 2 weeks ago... they really are powerful.