Distinctly Montana Magazine

Literary Lode DEPARTMENT S he told me that when she went walking by herself in the wilderness, her worst fear was that she would come across someone else. She would walk up the trail by a small stream so that she could stop and pick the wild strawberries that grow in the patches of sunlight on the grassy banks by the pools. It was always a small dilemma for her—choosing between the taste of the strawberries and taking the higher trail where the sounds of the water wouldn't obscure the sounds of others approaching. That was over 35 years ago, long before we met and at least 20 years before she died. There's a small lake at the source of the stream, wide but shallow, one of those lakes that freeze almost solid in the winter so there aren't any fish, thus no fishermen—ever. She said she loved the lake for its reflections. She hardly ever used the word love, so I know she meant it. A Change STORY AND PAINTING Clouds and a low breeze make that part impossible for now, but at least I haven't seen any other hikers. She told me that, instead of mirrors, reflections seem more apropos when contemplated as windows. But on what? That's why I came up here. I'll wait another hour for the still- ness. That should give me enough time to get back to the trailhead before dark. She never owned a backpack or a pair of hiking shoes. Sneakers and a paper bag with water and her lunch were enough. I remember when I was a fire lookout on Moose Creek drainage. There weren't any fires that year so I had plenty of time to kill. A previous occupant had left The Iliad, so when I wasn't listening to magpies and wind or watching rainstorms come and go, I lived in that story. I've never lived that way before or since, and I'm not sure I want to, but while I was there I found a positive reason to stop believing in God. DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Listen to Keeler's funny songs Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/keeler114 One day during a particularly bad thunderstorm, I saw a man coming up the trail. He didn't have rain gear or hiking equipment. He didn't even have a jacket. When I climbed down to meet him, I saw that he was wearing tennis shoes. They were the old-fashioned kind, black with white circles. Actually, he wasn't really wearing 40 A Change DISTINCTLY MONTANA • AUTUMN 2011

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