As we pass the wide expanses of wilderness, I imagine the trail winding through the trees and crossing the rivers. I think to myself, this is the wilderness I will be trekking through for ten days, and we are flying across it in 30 minutes. I try to spot a moose out of the window, which, according to my dad, is an absolute must-see on this trip. Of course, since we will be passing lakes and going through forests and marshes, I had no doubt we would see one. We pass what the pilot says is Whitecap Mountain. I see two red and white spots on it which look like people. He explains that this mountain is at about 40 miles into the wilderness, a significant point for backpackers, and sort of a point of no return. I wonder when we will get there, and stand on that bare patched summit feeling the wind. I hope for good weather, and that a storm doesn’t catch us on the summit. A small lake appears before us and the pilot explains that we are landing here, Spectacle Lake. There is a small log cabin on the right side of the lake, other than that, just beautiful spruce forests surrounding the deep water. The plane bounces on the surface on the water as it lands, and smoothly comes to a halt. There is a large flat rock slab on the far side of the lake and we taxi towards it. He tells us that the rock slab is right next to the trailhead of the Hundred Miles Wilderness. As the plane comes to a halt, the pilot whips out a wooden paddle and opens the door. He paddles the plane for the next 20 yards until we are about 5 yards from the rock slab. He then tells us that he cannot paddle further because the water is too shallow and he does not want to scrape the plane. I jump out of the plane first, into the water, which is above my knees. The boy helps me put my backpack on my shoulders. I wince under the full weight but cautiously proceed through the water onto the rock slab. I take off my water shoes and replace them with thick socks and Asolo backpacking boots. After I finish tightening all the straps on my backpack, I take a look around. My dad is still putting on his shoes and attaching everything to his backpack. I don’t know why it is taking him that long. I proceed to the far end of the rock slab and peer into the water. After a few seconds, I spot a frog. I started seeing more frogs and count about seven of them. I yell at my dad to come look, but of course he is busy with his shoes and says he will come to see later. I hear a rustling in the bush next to me and see the end of a snake. I quickly grab a small branch and try to get it out from under the bush so that my dad can see it. He comes over to look. I am excited to be seeing so much wildlife when the journey still has yet to begin. I have not seen a frog in Virginia in many years. I look back and the plane is rising into the air at the far end of the lake. We are alone now. The adventure has begun.
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