My Side of the Mountain: Tech Upgrade

Leaving Home

The day I ran away from home was the best day of my life. It was early summer, and school had just finished for the year. The day was dark, and everything about the day was dreary. It wasn't the sun though, that was dark, but the interior of my home. I live in New York City, where tall skyscrapers grow, breaking through the sky like jagged peaks all around: a tall and majestic display of the power of man over nature.  

My family of ten shared a small apartment in the top floors of one of these monoliths which was very snug for the most part. I was a middle child though, and also wanted to be less of a burden to my parents, who had so many other mouths to take care of besides me. I knew from my online research for a school project, just how much money it took to keep an apartment in New York and take care of a large family at the same time. There have been many times when I asked my dad about it. 

"Dad, why do we live in New York?" 

"Well, it's because I have a good job here, and your mother is going to school again at a college here." 

"Have you ever wanted to live somewhere else?" I'd ask. 

He'd pause, and turn to look at me with a wistful expression in his eyes, while a sheepish grin tugged at his lips, which he quickly tucked behind his ears.  

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did once." He admitted. "When I was about your age, I was a country boy, and I tried to run to the city to escape the boredom." He chuckled. "I never even got to the road. Yet, here I am, now, living my dream."  

I had looked at him, and my imagination seized hold of an idea. 

"Have you ever wanted to move back to the country?" 

My dad shook his head. "Nope, I'm completely happy where we are. We have everything life could offer us in the city, and if we ever wanted to go to the country, there is Central Park, or even the ocean nearby." He smiled. "No, it was your grandfather who would have run back to the land." 

My ears had perked up. "Really? Wait, didn't you tell me he had land in the Catskills mountains? If he loved it so much, why is the land abandoned like you told me it is?" 

My dad laughed, "It's old, that's why. After some years, he just moved to the country, and out of the mountains." 

About a week must have passed after that conversation before I said anything, but when I was finally ready, I went to my dad again.  

"Dad, I've thought about it, and I want to go live in the mountains, like Grandpa Gribley. It'll be easier for everyone, trust me."  

My Dad just stared at me for a moment, then to my surprise said. "Ok," he gave him a tiny smile, "just don't forget your toothbrush, or your mom will be all over me for this. If our fifteen-year-old son is going to be living out in the woods, then he needs to at least have clean teeth." He winked at me.  

I knew that he expected me to return the next day, but that wasn't an option for me. The small apartment had become suffocating for me, and I needed to escape to the fresh air and wild freedom of the mountains.  

So, I packed up all the supplies I knew I would need to live off the land. In my drybag backpack I stuffed an axe, a knife, a compass, a couple canteens, a medkit, gloves, boots, a couple sets of clothes, a wool blanket, a multi-tool, paracord, a solar panel phone charger, my phone, a weatherproof phone case, water filters, a tarp-like poncho, a windup flashlight, a Firestarter kit, string, $400, and a chocolate bar. No Meals-Ready-to-eat for me! I was going to rough it! I found it amazing how much survival technology had improved in just the past decade or so and was glad it could ship in two days. Amazing Amazon. 

I got an Uber to the mountains. My excitement grew as we approached the trees at the foot of a big one, and I told the driver that this was far enough. The driver was reluctant to leave me, but I had paid him to bring me here, and I looked older than I was, so he eventually left back down the mountain. I looked up the slope through the trees and smiled.