Our first night there had been great. In fact, we were awoken by the Sunlight peeking in the window.

I crawled out of bed, and it was cold. I looked at Amy, and she was looking at me. I picked up her clothes and stuck them under the covers, and said, “It’s cold out here. Try and get dressed under the covers, and I’ll go down and get a fire started.”

Before I left the bedroom, I lit two of the lanterns, one to leave with Amy and the other to take downstairs with me. I walked down the steps, and it was dark with the shutters closed. I laid and started a fire, and once it was burning well, I picked up the rifle that was still down here, and I went outside and opened a few of the shutters.

I looked around, and everything seemed the same as it did last night. No sign of anyone or anything being around. Then I saw it. A porcupine was waddling across in front of the cabin. He was cute, but I didn’t want to upset him and end up with some quills in me.

Amy came outside, and asked, “What’s that?”

“A porcupine.”, I replied.

“Isn’t he worried about us?”

“Not with those quills.”

“Do they hurt?”

“From what I hear, yes. I’m surprised that he’s here. I’ve read that they are usually only active at night.”

“Maybe he’s on his way home.”

“Could be.”

“It’s cold. I’m goin' in.”

“You’re high in the mountains, and it gets cold.”

“I’ll fix some breakfast.”

“What do you want. And I’ll get it out of the storage box.”

“That’s right. I forgot about it being out there.”

We ate breakfast, cleaned up, and decided to go hiking. I was going to be Tom the whole time we were here. So it was shorts, shirts, wool socks, hiking boots, and all of the usual hiking stuff. Plus a rifle.

We decided to hike towards the fire lookout tower. We closed up the cabin, and then headed out the back door and found the trail, from the back of the cabin, that went to the hiking trail. When we got to the hiking trail, we headed towards the fire lookout tower. It was an uphill hike to reach the tower, and it took us about twenty minutes. It was fun hiking through the woods.

At the base of the fire lookout tower, we looked around and found that we could climb the tower up to the landing just below the building that was at the top. We climbed the steps. And climbed the steps. And climbed the steps. I didn’t count the steps, but there were ten landings. We stopped every few landings to look around and rest.

When we got as far up as we could, there was a landing that allowed you to look in all directions. And you could see forever from up here. It was a fantastic view. I noticed that there were clouds to the west.

The steps from the landing to the hatch into the building that was over our heads were closed off by a chain link gate that was held shut with a chain and padlock.

As we started back down the steps, we heard a voice above us say, “Hey! Come on up.”

“Is it okay?”, I asked.

“Sure. Come on up.”, the voice said.

We walked back up to where we’d stopped and were met by a thirty-something guy with a great beard at the chained gate. As he unlocked the padlock, he introduced himself as Paul Goodfellow. We introduced ourselves. He said that he usually didn’t get any visitors during the week, and was lucky to get a few on the weekends. Then he led us up the last set of steps and through the trapdoor into the building.

After we were up in the building, he closed the trap door as it was part of the floor. We looked around, and you could really see for miles from up here. He told us that he could see Pike’s Peak to the north in Colorado, and he pointed it out to us. And into Arizona to the west and of course well into New Mexico to the south.

I asked, “So are we still in New Mexico?”

“Yes.”, Paul replied. “But not far from the Colorado border.

“Where are you two camping?”

I walked over to an east facing window, pointed, and said, “Down there.”

He looked and asked, “Down where?”

“In that cabin.”, I said.

He looked at me, and asked, “Who do you know?”

“Why?”

“Do you know who owns it?

“No.”

“So how are you staying there?”

“We know who takes care of it for the owner.”

“Mr. Bilby?”

“No. My uncle, Yiska Biakeddy.”

“Okay. I know Mr. Biakeddy, and I just had to test you to be sure I didn’t have trespassers on that property. And I thought his first name was, like mine, Paul?”

“That’s the Anglicized name he uses for the guests. His real name, in Navajo, is Yiska.

“Who owns the cabin?”

“I’ll let Mr. Biakeddy tell you.”

He showed us around what he called a cab. It's where he lives and watches for fires. We found out that he was single, a college professor, and spent his summers here watching for forest fires and writing. Plus he didn't have to shave.

We told him that we were college students. That I was an electrical engineering major and Amy was a nursing major. Paul then told us that he was an English professor and enjoyed writing mystery novels and that he has had a couple of books published.

Amy asked him if he missed being around people when he was out here. He laughed and said that being on a large California college campus during the school year more than made up for it.

He showed us the equipment that he used to spot fires. It's something called an Osborne Fire Finder. Then he said that he’d use a radio to call in the location so that the firefighters could go and put it out.

He also told us that he recorded the daily weather and also reported that. And that he also plotted the location of lightning strikes during storms and then watched the area, for a few days after the storm, looking for a fire to start near the strike. He made Amy’s day, not, when he told us that we’d probably have a thunderstorm later this afternoon when a cold front came through.

We chatted about his job for a while. Then I asked him if he’d ever heard of anything strange around here. He asked me like what? I told him what Naainish had told me. He thought for a minute, then he said, “I’ve heard rumors of a place that is supposed to be special to the native peoples. It’s supposed to be northeast of here. Why?”

I thought for a minute. Should I say more or not? Finally, I said, “My friend Naainish, he’s a Navajo medicine man, told me that there is supposed to be a sacred place out here somewhere. Its location was known for a long time, but over time it was forgotten.”

Paul thought for a minute, then he said, “Well, I can give you a rough idea where I’ve heard it’s rumored to be.”

We walked over to his fire finder, and he swung the sighting device around so that it was pointing to the northeast. Then he told me to look through the device, and then he said, “See that rock outcropping?”

“Yes.”, I replied.

“It’s somewhere in that area.”

I looked down at the bearing on the fire finder. And I said, “I have a compass with me, we should be able to find it. Are there any trails over that way?”

“Yes. They run off the main hiking trail that you used, but east of the cabin. And those side trails aren’t used much.”

“Is there a trail map?”

“Maybe.”

Paul went and dug through a filing cabinet, and finally pulled out a map. He said, “Sorry. No trail map, but I have a topographical map that may help.”

Paul spread it out on his table, and as he looked at it, he said, “The trail you hiked to get here is a major use trail, and I think it might be shown on this map. … Yes. Here it is.”

He pointed out the trail, then marked where the fire lookout tower was, and where the cabin was. He then drew a circle around the area of the rock outcropping. It was a big area.

Paul then showed us on the map exactly where the rock outcropping was, and said, “All I can tell you is that somewhere around that outcropping is where it’s rumored to be. Sorry, but I can’t pin it down any closer than a one-mile circle around those rocks. It’s a big area and the terrain is somewhat rough.”

“I know that medicine men have been there in the past.”, I said. “So it might not be too bad, and maybe they left signs that no one has found.”

“How will you find them.”

I gave Amy a questioning look. She gave me a look that said, it’s up to you.

“Paul.”, I said. “Do you know what a Nádleeh is?”

“No.”, he said. “Never heard of it.”

“To the Navajo people, a Nádleeh is a special person. It’s a two spirit person. It’s someone that has both the spirit of a woman and a spirit of a man.”

“I see.”

“I’m one of those people. And my friend, the medicine man, thinks that I may be able to find the sacred place again.”

He sat there and looked at me for a minute or so, then said, “So do you think that you can find this sacred place?”

“I’m not sure. My friend is also a two spirit person. He has searched for this sacred place and hasn’t had any luck.

“He thinks that with my two spirits interacting with the spirit of the sacred place. That I might find it.”

“So you might not either?”

“I’m not too sure that we will. But I told him that we’d try.”

“I guess all you can do. Is try.”

“Paul, with the help you’ve given us we just might succeed.”

“If you do. Stop in and tell me.”

“We will. Thanks again, and hopefully we’ll see you again.”

“Oh. And I wouldn’t go looking today. There is a cold front that is supposed to be here around one or two, the barometer is low, and you don’t want to get caught out in the storm. Tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous.”

“Good thought. Thanks.”

Then Paul said, “I’m going to have to read up on this Nádleeh thing.”

“Be careful. There is a lot of misleading information out there on the Nádleeh.”

“Okay. There as some Navajos that work for the Forest Service. I’ll ask them.”

“That would be better.”

As Amy and I walked down the tower steps, I said, “I’m glad we met Paul.”

“Me too.”, Amy said.

“He may have given us a clue to the sacred place.”

“It would be nice if he has.”

“You want to hike some more or go back for lunch.”

“Why don’t we hike, then catch a late lunch.”

We headed further away from the cabin. And the whole time we hiked I thought about what Paul had told us. We only hiked another mile or two, then turned around and came back on the same trail.

It was just about one o’clock when we got back to the cabin, and the leading clouds of the cold front were just starting to roll in. We took food out of the outside storage for both our lunch and supper and took it into the cabin. While Amy started to make lunch, I opened some of the shutters and brought in some firewood. Then I started a fire in the fireplace. Not a big one, but one that would take the chill off. And it will be easy to make the fire bigger if we need to.

After lunch, we moved the chairs to the porch on the west side of the cabin, sat, and watched the storm roll in from the west. We heard the thunder for a while and then we finally saw our first lightning as a bolt of lightning hit the fire lookout tower. Amy jumped, and said, “I hope Paul is all right?”

“He’ll be fine. Those places are built to take lightning strikes. I saw a lot of copper wire up there leading down to the ground.”

Then the wind picked up, and the rain started. We stayed out on the porch as long as could. Then the pelting rain drove us inside. I tossed a couple of logs on the fire and stirred up the coals. And Amy and I cuddled together on the couch that looked out the big south-facing window, and we watched the rain come down. And it rained like crazy. Every lightning strike had Amy cuddling closer to me. And she eventually ended up sitting on my lap. Things happened on that couch during the storm that we’d never done in front of a window before.

The storm rolled through quickly. And after it was over and we were getting dressed, Amy asked, “Why was that storm so intense and why did it feel so tingly.”

“We’re in the mountains.”, I replied. “And close to the top of what is probably the highest peak in the area. So we were probably inside the storm. So you were feeling the electrical energy that’s built up in the clouds and ground. And that’s why the fire lookout tower, probably the highest thing around, has the amount of grounding it does. It directs the energy of the lightning strike to a safe ground.”

“We … We were inside the storm?”

“I think so. It was cool.”

“If you say so. Does the cabin have lightning thingies.”

“Lightning rods. Yes. Along the peak of the roof and on the chimney.”

Then I asked, “Now little missy, what got into you?”

“What ... What do you mean.”

“You know what I mean. That was a really intense session on the couch while the storm was going on.”

“I … I … I don’t know. Maybe it was the intensity of the storm, the tingling, and being in your arms. You … You mad?”

“Why would I be mad. But like I’ve said before, we need to find a place like this to live.”

“No. I don’t like thunderstorms.”

“You couldn’t prove it by me.”

Amy said, “Brat.” And she threw a pillow at me.

Later I looked out the front window, and said, “Amy! Come here quick.”

As she walked over, she said, “What? Is there another porcupine.”

“No. Something a little bigger.”

As she walked up to where I was standing, she said, “What?”

I pointed, and Amy almost screamed, “It’s ... It's ... It's a bear!”

“Give that girl a lolly-pop.”

We stood there and watched the bear wander around the front of the cabin. Then he wandered over to the car and sniffed around. Then he wandered over to the side of the cabin where the trash was stored. We heard him work at trying to open the bear-proof trash cabinet. Hopefully, he won’t succeed. Amy then saw him out the back kitchen window as he wandered up the trail and into the woods.

“I hope he didn’t get into the trash.”, Amy said.

As I walked towards the back door, I said, “I don’t think so. But I’ll check.”

“No! Don’t go out there.”

“Why?”

“He may still be around.”

“He’s not. But get your gun and protect me.”

Amy did get one of the rifles, and for some reason, she put on her cowboy hat. And the way she was standing there with the rifle made me think of Annie Oakley. So I said, “You look just like Annie Oakley. I’m going to call you Amy Oakley.”

She just frowned at me. We went outside and looked over the two cabinets, and the bear wasn’t able to get into either one. But he left us a present, a pile of scat.

I remembered a shovel in the kerosene shed. I went and got it, scooped up the bear scat, took it to the fire pit, dug a hole, and put the scat in it.

It was about three o’clock, we went back into the cabin, and after giving the bear some time to get out of the area, I said, “Let's take a short hike.”

“What about the bear?”, Amy asked.

“He’s probably long gone.”

“And if he isn’t?”

“We’ll just make some noise. Besides Amy Oakley will have her gun.”

“I’ll give you Amy Oakley!”

I finally convinced Amy to go for a walk, so we headed out, and Amy Oakley did have one of the rifles slung over her shoulder. We headed back to the hiking trail behind the cabin and started hiking east, away from the fire lookout tower. I wanted to see what was down this way.

I’d taken the topographical map and my compass with us, I wanted to see if we could spot any side trails that might lead to the rock outcropping. We headed downhill, not much of a grade but a little, and kept one eye open for the bear and another eye open for a side trail. Amy to make noise sang. I’d never heard her sing before. And she had a really lovely voice.

In the first mile, we didn’t see anything, bear, trail, or otherwise. But after about another half a mile we spotted a side trail. It was hard to see, as it looked like it wasn’t used much. I took the map out and used the compass to take a bearing. The trail did head in the direction of the rock outcropping.

Amy asked, “That’s a different kind of compass.”

“It’s an orienteering compass.”, I said. “It’s easy to use with a map.”

And I gave her a quick lesson on how to use the compass with a map. Then we spent a little time looking around for a marker that would tell us that this was the correct trail. We didn’t find anything.

Then I talked Amy into walking a little further on the main hiking trail to see if there were any other side trails. And just before we were going to turn around we spotted another cross trail. Again I took a heading and this trail also headed towards the rock outcropping. So there was a possibility of either of these trails leading to the rock outcropping. And there may be others.

We looked around the area of the trail split, trying to find something that might tell us it was the trail we needed. I looked for a stone cairn or maybe rocks on the ground forming an arrow, or anything else. After a few minutes we gave up, and we headed back towards the cabin.

When we got back to the first trail split, I decided to take another quick look around for some sign. It was getting late, and I didn’t want to spend much time. Just as we were getting ready to give up, Amy said, “Whats that?”

“Whats what?”, I asked.

She was pointing at a tree, and said, “See that branch up there.”

“Oh.”, I said. “Let me look.”

This tree was about ten feet off the trail split on the rock outcropping side of the trail. I walked back into the woods and took a quick look at the tree and branch.

The branch was big and was bent in a strange way when it was smaller so that it was pointing straight down. I then looked at the tree trunk, and on the backside of the tree, almost hidden by moss, was an arrow carved into the tree pointing down the trail. It looked like it had been here for quite some time. I let out a loud, “Yes!”

“You find something?”, Amy asked.

“Oh yeah! But you found it. There’s an arrow on the backside of this tree pointing down the trail.”

Amy came to where I was and said, “Do you think it’s something.”

“Yes. I think it might be a mark that this is the right trail.”

“We’d better get back to the cabin before it gets dark.”

“You’re right. And we know where to start tomorrow.”

We quickly walked backed to the cabin. And we got there with plenty of time to spare before Sunset.

As we were eating dinner, Amy asked, “Why do you think that the marker was so far off the trail?”

“Not sure. But it may have been to hide it. If the person that marked it, probably the first medicine man to find the sacred place, wanted someone else to find it, he’d tell them how to find the marker he placed.

“I figure that we’ll have to be careful when we hike that trail and look for marks off to the side of the trail. But now that we know what we’re looking for, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

That evening, we sat on the porch just listening to the forest and enjoying the fresh air that had been cleaned by the storm. As it got cold, we went inside and built a fire in the fireplace, and sat on the couch in front of the fire and cuddled. It wasn’t very long until we both fell asleep. Fresh air will do it every time.

The fire had died down, and I woke up around midnight as the room started to cool off. I covered Amy with my jacket, took a flashlight and one of the rifles, and went outside to close up the cabin. When I came in, I lit two of the portable lanterns, extinguished all the others, and got us off to bed.