Birthday Reflections From Glacier’s Logan Pass
©Bert Gildart: Seventy years ago today my mom made medical history at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, giving birth through cesarean section to a baby boy. It was a first at the old army hospital, and the baby, of course, was yours truly.
A year and a half later, on December 7, 1941, my dad, mom and I survived the Japanese invasion at Pearl Harbor. Other significant and sometimes traumatic events continued to mark my life and did so for my first 30 years, to include a harrowing rescue in the ocean just off Fort Monroe, Virginia.
At the time I was 14 and not the most devoted of high school students. One day I had decided to skip school, take my dad’s sailboat, and cross the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, failing to note that storm-warning flags were flying.
Mount Reynolds reflecting in small pond above Logan Pass
SAVED FROM STORM-RAVAGED WATERS
About mid way across, violent winds kicked up and the sailboat went over, and the last thing my companion and I saw before fog enveloped us was a huge aircraft carrier bearing down. Fortunately the Coast Guard also saw us, marked our location and moved in to snatch us from the violent waves that were sweeping over us. Somehow the rescue efforts were picked up by a local radio station but they got their news wrong.
Reporters were told two teenage boys were lost in the violent storm despite an attempted Coast Guard rescue. Both my mom and dad heard the report and by this time knew I’d “borrowed” the sailboat. But I thanked my lucky stars that they initially believe me dead, for normally my transgression would have brought out the wrath of God in my dad. As it was, both my mom and dad were so glad to see me alive that my “crime” was initially overlooked.
Mountain goat shedding winter coat; Photographer John Roberts, a most impressive man whom I will be describing further in subsequent posts; Bearhat Mountain, reflecting in small pond near Hidden Lake Overlook.
Other such calamities seemed to plague me until the time I was about 30, prompting many of my friends and contemporaries to tell me that I would be lucky to make it to 50 – much to the Biblical allotment of three-score and ten. They contended there were reasons. They elaborated, and though I won’t divulge their thoughts here, will concede that I might have committed transgressions that prompted such delusions.
Nevertheless, I have survived and am now recalling individuals who made such insensitive comments. Today, I plan to laugh in their face, for not only am I alive and well, but I am accomplishing things that I feel very fortunate to still be able to do…
GLACIER’S LOGAN PASS
Yesterday, I departed home at 4:30 a.m., drove to Logan Pass and was there to greet the sun from this lofty and incredibly beautiful place in Glacier National Park. While there I photographed goats and the image of Bearhat Mountain reflecting in several small alpine ponds. It was an absolutely beautiful place to look back over my life, concluding like Willie Nelson, that, sure, I have made some mistakes, but that without some of those mistakes I wouldn’t be where I am now. “I’ve profited from my mistakes,” said the famous singer/songwriter in so many words, “giving me wisdom. Life is good.”
I concur, for I have a wonderful wife, crazy enough to embark on many “outlandish” adventures. I also have understanding children – and so does my wife. Moreover, her children have accepted me and that acceptance adds to my blessings.
Mountain goats near Hidden Lake overlook, above Logan Pass
LEARNING FROM LIFE’S MISTAKES
Life, in fact, is good and I have many more goals which I believe I will be able to fulfill. That is what I concluded yesterday following a fairly vigorous hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook where I took the photographs included here.
Today, some of my best friends will be joining me to celebrate this day and there are several who will be attending whom I will remind of the predictions they made so long ago. I’ll laugh in their face and tell them that I plan to be laughing (but not too loudly) for at least another 20 years. Fate has been generous and I hope will continue, for I have many more mountains (both metaphorical and literal) that I fully intend (Chilkoot) to climb.
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THIS TIME LAST YEAR:
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July 3rd, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Happy Birthday, Bert. As someone who has had a taste of a few of your “calamities” personally, I can understand the skepticism of others that you would not survive to the ripe old age you now enjoy.
But they underestimated your incredible ability to survive, and more importantly, your ability to charm your way out of any trouble! May you enjoy many more years of adventures!
July 4th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Happy Birthday, from a somewhat younger old phart. Like you, just glad to still be here to greet the dawn.
July 4th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Hello and Happy B-Day Bert. May the sun continue to shine on your head and light your way.
You make a point about surviving your “transgressions.” But, you have many more ahead of you and I’d like to pass along a thought I was told last week by a medical friend at Mayo. She said “growing old is not for sissies.” And, she is right. I prove that point to myself almost everytime I pick up a tool or try something athletic that I shouldn’t. So, you are now qualified to try my trick of subtracting five years from my age at every birthday to see if I can become young enough again to “do over” some of my earlier transgressions. In short, we’ve earned a second chance to “try it over again” to see if there might be less chaos in our life. Let’s see if this “wisdom” thing really is true about aging!
Many more birthdays to you good friend.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Bert,
Once again a wonder full story. You do put the add in ad venture. We look forward to seeing you soon and can only hope to be as full of vim and vigor when we enter that decade not so far away.
Happy Birthday every day!