Are You Living It?

Inevitably there are people in your town that you know, have heard of or seen who have reached almost legendary status due to something they have done, something they do, or just some sort of lifestyle that propels them into mythological status………

Mt Shasta is a cosmic place, supposedly one of 7 spiritual vortexes in the world.  The town is full of legend and lore of folkloric beings and cosmic rays.  You can imagine what comes with that! Its not uncommon at all to sit in a coffee shop and hear people speaking of space ships entering the mountain Lemurian sightings on the mountain.  Many locals think there is an ancient city under the mountain called Telos.  I have yet to see any of these things but after spending enough time here and hearing so much of it, you begin to thinks it’s true.  

In Shasta there is another legendary being, but one I have actually seen evidence of over the years… real concrete evidence.  He’s a backcoutry ski guru who will always beat you to first tracks.  He covers more territory in a day than most cover in a week.  Arriving on the mountain you will often see his truck with solo ski tracks and a lone dog track leaving the vehicle and disappearing out of site.   His name is Gerald and he is 70 years old.  The man skies the backcountry every single day.  Ive never met him.  I’ve seen his tracks, I’ve seen him thousands of feet higher than me on the mountain appearing as just a lonely speck, I’ve heard countless stories of Gerald sightings… but I have never met the guy.  Day after day I ski the backcountry, knowing he is nearby somewhere, but never catch a glimpse of him. 

Gerald is as elusive as a mountain lion, and sometimes it seems he must be watching me.  He has crossed behind me, above me and around me undetected, leaving only tracks to prove his presence.   He slithers around in the high country offering few opportunities for people to cross paths with him.   He ventures into territories that few ski, goes further than most think possible and he does it every single day!

…It was Saturday and another great day backcountry skiing at Castle Lake.  First official day of corn skiing.  Temps were high enough to make me think shorts and a t shirt would be the appropriate attire next time.  After a brief chat in the parking lot with some dawn patrollers who were just finishing up we said our goodbyes and started up the mountain.   My buddy Chris spent most of the climb talking about spending the summer in Mexico surfing, a concept that seems outrageous to me since summers in Shasta are almost unbeatable.  Isn’t surfing in Mexico a winter thing? 

We got to the top and looked at the slope below us, a perfect pitch with little undulation.  The run was short but sweet, 20 perfect turns to the bottom.  After a few “hoo rahs” we decided that the snow was just too good to pass up another run, but this time we headed for the adjacent peak.   The conversation on the way up again seemed to again gravitate back to surfing.  My mind wandered and I imagined Chris sitting out in the ocean on his surf board waiting for the next wave set, talking to his surf buddies about skiing.   Surf stories captivated my imagination enough to make parts of the hike seem to completely vanish from memory. 

We crested over a series of knolls and could look down into Heart lake which sits just above Castle lake.  The top of middle peak was looming above us with a rock solid cornice shrouding the rim like a crown.  Only a long flat ridge followed by a short steep climb over the cornice stood between us and the top.  This was a good time to find nurishment in a PB&J, so we stopped before our last push to the top.  Within moments, just up the flat ridge and slightly off the side, some movement caught my eye.  It was another skier coming out of the trees cresting up to the ridge.

  I was close enough to see that there was something just a little different about this skier.  Not your typical gortex clad winter warrior, this guy appeared to be wearing jeans along with some other old school apparel.  He cantered up the mountain appearing to be in slow motion, however his stride was wide and I could see he covered the ground quickly.  I finally realized it.  That’s him!!!!  That’s Gerald!!!! I told Chris I wanted to catch Gerald and that I would meet him at the top.  Off I went in pursuit.

I left Chris to tend to his sandwich and set out after Gerald.   He was only 150 yards away and he looked as though he was going to shed his climbing skins and make some turns.  I skinned quick enough so as not to miss him, but not so quick that he thought I was some weirdo charging him.  He knew we were getting close and as I approached I could tell he was hastening his pace to get down the hill before we caught up.  I made it within 10 or 15 feet of him and he didn’t seem to pay much attention to me.  I decided to just introduce myself.  “You must be Gerald,” I said, knowing full well who he was.  He chuckled and said, “Who are you?”  I gave my name and he said, “Oh”.    Awkward silence filled the air, so I just said “Gerald I’ve always wanted  to meet you.”  “Oh,” he said.  I told him that I had always heard about his epic days in the backcountry, seen is tracks and seen him off in the distance, but never had the opportunity to talk to him.   He seemed to be somewhat flattered but maybe more confused as to why I would want to meet him. 

His face was weathered and Jolly, smiles were abundant.  The silence in the mountains was cut by the sound of a snowmobile crossing the lake below.   Gerald’s face turn sore “those God Dam sons of bitches, they know they’re not supposed to be down there, I outta go down there and ring their God dam necks”.    He was animated and full of vigor.  After a few minutes of awkward conversation, Gerald began to open up.   He told stories of the old logging days, he spoke of animals on Shasta that were last spotted a 100 years ago, he spoke of recently seeing wolverine tracks on the mountain and following them for miles. He told me about the history of the land. 

I was honored to finally meet Gerald.  The man has captivated my imagination for years.  Seeing him was proof that some legends are real. 

by Shawn Raley