Ghost Range, Abiquiu, New Mexico

 


   
    on Kitchen Mesa
    hiker breathes his last--
    butterfly rises








There's a story behind this haiku. It concerns a man named Ted, who hiked his last mountain last Thursday at Ghost Ranch, the lovely  country where Georgia O'Keeffe painted.

I happened to be hiking the same trail that day, and it was a steep uphill climb to Kitchen Mesa where there were spectacular views.

When I reached the top, a wide table-top with cliffs offering viewpoints in all directions, a white-haired man was walking about 70 yards away. His friend was sitting and I heard the sitting man ask the other, "Are you OK?" The tall man's answer was lost to the wind.

I wandered on the white paths on the top checking out the spectacular views and headed back on the path where the two men were. Now the tall one was lying across the path. "Is something wrong?" I asked. The sitting man said, "My friend's having chest pains. Can you go for help? A burro, whatever."

I gave them my water and a snack because I did not know how long it would take for help to arrive. The man needing aid was named Ted and his friend, Bill.

I raced down as fast as I could (especially over the rocky, steep sections), ran where the path was sandy, and kept hoping some fleet young'un would approach so I could send him or her back to the ranch. Only an older couple approached.  I told them what was going on and asked them to hurry to the top.

At the bottom, I found a sheriff at the edge of the ranch. He drove me to the office and they called 911 for a helicopter rescue.

Alas, the man did not make it. Later, I saw the couple that I had passed racing down.  They told me Ted had died 10 or 15 minutes before they got there--in other words shortly after I had left. The woman said, "Don't worry. He died doing what he loved in the most beautiful place."

Ted's daughter was at Ghost Ranch as well, painting in the field, and she later told the coroner that she did not want his body shipped home, but instead wanted him cremated so they could release his ashes on the top of Kitchen Mesa.

You never know what you will witness in the course of a day. The occasion was both sad and life-affirming.