A while ago, I was reading about nature – the wildlife that surrounds me; there’s always more to learn. Recently, I’ve been enraptured by books about wild places. At fIrst it was Alaska, which I know is mostly wild, but was still amazed by HOW wild. And more recently, it’s about places that are very wild, but not where I expect to find them: for example, Italy. And Austria (???).

That thought coincided with… ready? Dave Matthews (whose band was performing nearby this week). I know you’re wondering how these 2 go together- wilderness and Dave Matthews. But add in my mother and it all makes sense.

When I was growing up, my mother grew her organic vegetables and raised her “organic” cows. But when I came home after a teenage summer of mountain climbing in Colorado and then discovered Old Rag Mountain in northern Va., somehow, she got wind. She began driving the 1 and 1/2 or so hours just to get there on her own. Over time, she started looking for closer mountains to hike. This led to buying maps of nearby areas to check out so she could explore old carriage roads and paths that once crossed the high hills. This morphed into parking wherever she could to get to these places and then, maybe 6 hours later,(she was in her 70’s and 80’s) if the trails even led where they should, returning to her car. And because she was who she was, she had no qualms about parking in someone’s back field or yard or…. and then hiking off into the woods.

Trespassing was not a word in her vocabulary. When she did meet the owner, by chance, she would easily strike up a conversation about what she either intended to see or how lovely it had been. They were charmed. Always.

So, one summer in the early 2000’s, I was visiting her in VIrginia with Daniel. Daniel, as many might know, was the least practical person in most ways. Regardless, my mother was using a cane then. Now in her early 90’s, she couldn’t walk far but she wanted to get out. To show us places.

We drove down the highway, took a right turn to drive through what seemed like a typical suburb, and then took a sharp left through a high chain link fence with a huge PRiIVATE sign all over it. I was sure the gate would close after we entered. My mother laughed. “It’s okay “, she assured us. “This is Dave Matthews’s land and I’m such good friends with his mother”. It had once been a Buddhist monastery. There was one large building and then fields. We drove past and as she directed, headed down a hill and then eventually into deep shade alongside a stream. We slowed down as the road turned from paved to dirt and became less and less clear. No one had been here in some time – there were trees that had fallen across the road but not so large that we couldn’t move them or get past. My mother was not phased, pleased to be in her trusty Subaru. So we followed her direction. It became more and more dubious until at one point we reached a stream to cross with a steep slope on the other side.

Daniel did his best, but – sure enough, the car got stuck. And more stuck.

Cell phones were useless there. I had no idea where I was. I thought I knew my way around this county I grew up in, but we were sunk in some valley where I had no sense of direction or idea where this “road” ended. My mother couldn’t walk on this terrain. For me to hike back and maybe find help in suburbia would have taken more than a few hours. And then, who else would dare go past the PRIVATE gate?

Daniel and I got out. We determined some kind of a plan that involved driving(backing?) up on the bank of the road to get traction and then – I honestly don’t remember what (?)

Was it try #one? Or two? Readjust. Breathe deep. It was definitely frightening.

My brain has shut out the logistics of the miracle that allowed the car to maneuver- almost tip too much, but whew! find a grip so it could back up ( and back up…) as my mother sat peacefully in the front seat, enjoying her wilderness experience.

I know I was definitely sensing wilderness.

And I know it wasn’t actually far from civilization.

On Dave Matthews land in the wilds of Albemarle County, Va.

“I would have loved the whole experience!” – Peaches