Member-only story
Bear’s Den
Autumn hikers travel farther than expected
Kathy turned the ignition key, her brown eyes drawn to Smudge. Like a flexing body builder, the black cat struck pose after pose in the window. His eyes flashed gold with the rising sun. Kathy, popping in a CD, eased her SUV out into the road. Miffed at losing his audience, Smudge, with a sassy tail flick, vanished — off to do whatever it is felines do when their mistresses go away.
Cinnamon-and-coffee-scented steam rose from the cup holder.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. After her troubles in the spring, Kathy had decided to spend Saturday mornings outdoors with her friend Gillian. A nurse, Gillian knew how to be supportive.
With Leesburg in her rearview mirror, Kathy left behind all thoughts of her job, her bills, and her boyfriend. The cloud-wreathed Blue Ridge mountains grew larger and larger in her windshield. Mist hovered over farm ponds as the piedmont scrolled by. Kathy cracked open her window and sniffed the autumn aromas.
She soon passed the last possible stopover before the Blue Ridge, an old orchard outbuilding-turned-art-gallery-and-coffee-shop. In front, tipped against a Conestoga wagon, a sign announced Saturday’s “Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza.”
“Loudoun at its finest, the county where Halloween is hallowed,” chuckled Kathy. She worked for the…
