Encounter with Baba Yaga on the Bull Gap Trail

Departure

The air was warmer than expected when I cracked my window at the Bull Gap snow park. I'd planned to continue driving to the back parking lot but on inspection, the snow was getting melty under the sun's warmth, so I opted to ski on the relative shade of the north west slope along the lower trail. Stepping in and feeling the solid click of the bindings on my "new to me" skis, I thought of Wayne.

TODO: set this scene. Walking down into his garage to tour the collection of potential skis for me, I'd felt what to me a particularly male type of bonding of entering another man's workshop.

The boy inside me felt his familiar anxiety entering Wayne's den. The boy is ever nervous of trials of manhood. Memories of his failures to enjoy football, cars and guns rise within him. Entering the workshop smells like yet another test of manhood which he is almost certain to fail.

Bagni arrives and reminds The Boy of his days of initiation - pedaling over Tioga Pass, showing up as a father, showing up for Mens' Groups and SoulWork. "You've passed my initiations and that's all that matters," he whispers in my ear. Then Bagni fixes his gaze at me and continues, "the deeper truth is you will continue to meet initiations as long as you live, and you will either die in the fire or die running away or die just having passed thru."

And tho I will never fully share in Wayne's love of the intricacies of ski gear, I enjoyed listening to his description of the particulars of the design and state of the 3 sets of used skis from his collection which had brought me to mind.

The Descent

The Four Heroes

Baba Yaga and the Professor of Philosophy

Baba Yaga's Older Sister

Mountain of Slush

Return of the Four Heroes

Wayne's Garage Reprise

For the kind of boy who lives in me, passing thru initiation has always included surrender.