Chapter 4
THE HIKE
I returned from the Baca a changed person. I had seen a craft from another planet at close range, and had witnessed other phenomena that proved that ETs were close by and there was far more going on than commonly acknowledged. I had also received information about a cabal, a secret state behind the government that ran things for their own benefit, not for the people of the U.S. Now what was I going to do with all this?
I looked at my financial situation and recognized that I did not need to work to support myself. This freed me to look at possibilities from an interest view point. What could I do that might be fun?
I thought of politics for me, but quickly dismissed the idea. Politics had never really interested me. I had not seen how they affected my life when I was part of Alliance. In fact, in my low opinion of politicians, they were mostly interested in raising money to be elected or stay elected. Little was done in the interests of those who elected them. Would politics now come into my life? I did not see how, but I let the question sit for another time.
Then I thought of Heather, wondering how quickly I could call her. I did not want to appear too eager. I had watched how other men’s eyes followed her, I was sure she had plenty of boyfriends.
After talking to a number of business colleagues not connected to Alliance, I hit on the idea of holding myself out as a business consultant. I had years of experience in turning around companies, securing financing, and upgrading management and organizations. I reluctantly decided to find opportunities where I could make a difference.
One of my contacts immediately directed me to an investor who needed help with a struggling company. I set out to write a proposal to do that.
In my leisure moments, I had searched the Internet for references to cabal, hidden government, and deep state. I found two obscure sites, but nothing as detailed as what Steve Greer had talked about.
I called Peter and Doug, my friends from Creative Consciousness. They had been with me in the Baca. I connected both in a conference call.
“You don’t seem so taken with what we saw last week,” I said, after I explained that I had taken Greer’s comments seriously.
“I’m working full time and have a family,” Doug said. “Besides things are going well with me. I don’t want to rock my boat. I enjoyed the week with Greer, but the stuff about the cabal is a little fantastic, too far out for my taste. I don’t see it in my work or my home life. I’ll leave it to you, Michael. If you do find something that’s exceptional, let me know. Otherwise it’s steady as she goes.”
“I’m going fishing in Canada next week,” Peter said. “Got a lot to do to get ready. I’m enjoying my life as is. I’m with Doug, the stuff that Greer put out is a little too much for me.
“It’s like extraterrestrials, when they make the evening news, I’ll get serious. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the week in the Baca, saw some great stuff. But I’m not ready for it to change my life.”
I came away from the conversation very disappointed. What was I feeling that they weren’t? They seemed to buy into ETs and UFOs, now that they’d seen some. However, they made no reference to the cabal that Dr. Greer had spoken about. I had my doubts, but was not willing to totally dismiss it simply because it had not affected me.
The next day, I called Al Simpson, who I had sat next to me one night at CSETI.
“The situation is desperate,” he said, as soon as I mentioned what I was looking into. “People don’t understand just how controlled their lives are. This cabal is the real thing.
“Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have all the regulations we live under, if we weren’t loaded with debt just to live, or if the medical system really functioned in our best interests? Then there’s the media. They lie to cover everything up, to make us believe this is the way it’s always been and always will be.”
He referred me to several obscure sites on the Internet with people who were presenting information about the cabal.
“Much appreciated,” I said. “I’ll let you know if I find something real interesting.”
I went to my computer and started searching. I found all but one of the sites that Al had referred me to had been taken off by YouTube or Facebook. The one that I did access had only information I had seen elsewhere. I took all this as indication that I might be getting into some interesting territory.
Later, I was in the midst of writing my business proposal when my fingers were directed to begin writing something else. It was as though something had taken hold of me. I decided not to resist it and just let my mind flow and my fingers with it. It was as though I was being shown the words that then spilled onto the page. Totally consumed, I wrote at a furious pace, ignoring my business proposal.
Four days later I had a fifty-page story, including plot and characters. It was about a group of extraterrestrials walking among us.
It was not polished, needed better descriptions, and required a tighter focus, but I felt it had some real possibilities. I found an adult course on creative writing at Colorado State University in downtown Denver. The course had already started, but I was free to join.
I went to my first class the next evening. At fifty years, I was the most senior student. Most of the others were about the age of my own kids. I saw a blonde girl seated in the front row. She reminded me of Heather, but she was nowhere as pretty.
Before class began, I talked to the teacher, a woman with flowing red hair. She too was young, early thirties. After showing her my manuscript, she suggested I get in touch with a writing coach and gave me several names. I continued with the class for the evening and discovered that my writing was not bad, but that I need to follow certain rules to create a book that people would enjoy reading and recommending to others.
Over the next four days, I interviewed three writing coaches, all located in the Denver area. I settled on a retired teacher of writing who had taught at the University of Colorado. We met at her home for two hours.
Taking her suggestions, I went to my home and began to go over my manuscript to improve the plot, descriptions, and characters. As I went about editing, more of the story emerged.
After four days I needed a break. The next morning, I called Heather’s phone number at 8:30 and got her machine. I left her a message saying I wanted to have lunch, without specifying when.
Then I got on my bike and headed for the path on the canal. I was six miles away from my house when my iPhone rang. By the time I stopped and dug it out of my bike bag, the call had gone to messaging.
“This is Heather, returning your call.”
With apprehension I dialed her number.
“Hi. Remember me? A rainy night on the side of Mount Blanca?”
“Vaguely,” she retorted. “Seen any good UFOs recently?”
“How about lunch?”
“Not today, how about tomorrow?”
“Where? Give me an address, I’ll use my GPS to find it. What time?”
She gave me the address for Bai Tong, a Thai restaurant. “Meet you at noon. Don’t be late, I only wait so long for blind dates,” she laughed.
“I may be a lot of things, but I’m not blind,” I responded. “See you tomorrow.”
The next day I left my house about 10:00 AM, thinking I did not know much about Loveland other than an exit sign from the Interstate. I had called my son Kevin and left a message about coffee that afternoon, just in case my lunch was a bit short.
I turned off Interstate 25 at the Eisenhower exit and headed west. It had taken me about an hour to navigate heavy traffic through central Denver and slowing for an accident further north at the interchange with Interstate 70.
I turned on Colorado 34, then went right to find the restaurant.
Rather than wait in my Jeep, I chose to go into Bai Tong.
I was immediately assaulted with the rich aroma of Thai food, one of my favorites. I asked for a quiet table, and got one in a back corner.
I had dressed with tan slacks, blue sport coat, and an open collar blue striped shirt. Believing I had a while to wait, I pulled my notepad and pen out of my sport coat. I was quickly lost in thought about another chapter in my book.
“Hard at work,” she said. I had not noticed her arrive at the table. “Thought you were taking it easy.”
I stood. She was beautiful, more than I remembered. Her cream-colored coat complemented her blonde hair and light complexion. Slightly darker eyebrows highlighted her very green eyes. No lipstick to clash with her near-perfect face. I was really taken back. “You look stunning,” I said.
“Thank you. So, you’re not really blind after all.”
I stepped up to pull out her chair. In the process we brushed arms. “It’s nice to see you,” she said.
“Likewise. Don’t know why it took me so long to call,” I said. “Things have gotten complicated. I’ll explain.”
Pushing her chair in, I said. “Nice restaurant you chose.”
“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites. Did it take long to drive here?”
“About an hour, in heavy traffic.”
“Do you live far away?” I asked.
“A few blocks west.”
Saying nothing, I paused to stare at her. She was indeed quite pretty, with a mature younger woman look.
“What?” she asked.
“Just admiring the scenery,” I replied. “I think you’re pretty.”
She blushed. After a quick recovery she said, “Thank you, but just so you know compliments will not change who pays for lunch. After all, I’m just a poor school teacher.”
I said, “I’m good for lunch, have a few dollars left from my old job.”
We paused as the waiter came to get our drink order. Then I asked, “Your last name, is it English or German?”
“It was originally, Langenberg, which is Dutch. My grandfather who was full-blooded Dutch, changed it to Langen when he migrated here. My mother is part French. How about you?”
“Garrison is English. I’m a mixture of English and Irish.”
We discovered that we each had gone to the University of Colorado in Boulder. Her degree was in Physical Education and Health. I had graduated eight years ahead of her with degrees in Engineering and Business. That made her about thirty-eight years old. She looked to be in her twenties. I had married Phyllis two years after my graduation.
We talked about Tulagi’s and the Sink, popular watering holes for students at CU. Neither of us had been in a Greek house, but had found plenty of distractions to studying. I was on the ski team. She played tennis, was on the softball team, and did intermural track and field.
I talked about my daughter, Victoria, who lived in California. She was studying to be a physician’s assistant while working at a private family practice. She was twenty-three years old, single, and spent her off-hours surfing. “I visited her several weeks ago to explain my thirty-six-hour sleep. She was quite concerned because it doesn’t match up to any standard medical diagnosis.”
Then I spoke about my son, Kevin, who was an engineer for an electronics firm in Longmont. He lived on south side of Loveland. He was twenty-two, married with one child, and focused on his job, skiing, and bicycling.
Heather said, “I envy you with a family. My kids are the fifty or so I have in classes. I get to play sports with them and teach them health. Neither of my two marriages resulted in children.”
“So, you’d like to have children?” I asked.
“I’ve come to accept the fact that I may not, but if it happens, I would welcome it.” Then in a more serious moment, she said, “As they say, the clock is ticking. Now let me ask you a question. How do you feel about having more children in your life?”
I thought for a moment then said, “I know what it means to raise kids. I’ve done it. Thankfully, my two are out on their own, without any college debts, I might add.
“So, yeah, if I was in love with someone, and I thought it would be a long-term relationship, I’d be okay with being a father to another child.”
I looked her very carefully in the eyes and said, “I’m not used to having this kind of a discussion on my first date. Kinda clears the air, doesn’t it? I like your approach, Heather. Getting things right up on the table.”
“Why is she bringing this up?” I asked myself. “Is she really looking for a relationship with me? Sure sounds like she’d like to have a child.”
“I have found that it’s an important issue with how men and women relate to each other,” Heather said, “even as friends. How do you feel about marriage?”
“Again, if I was in the right relationship, and it looked like it would last for a long time, I’d get married, and happily so. I enjoyed being married, although my relationship with my first wife faltered after a number of years. What about you?”
“My first husband died in an automobile accident. I divorced my second husband for cause.”
Without probing further, I moved beyond what seemed to have become a difficult topic. I said, “Change of subject, how are you doing after what we experienced in the Baca? Everything going okay? I’m guessing that teachers take a break to recover from the school year.”
“I get paid for playing with kids,” she said. “With a few exceptions they were a good bunch this past year and we had fun together. So, what about you? You still in the business world?”
“I’m writing a book,” I said. “Don’t look too surprised, I’ve got a tutor helping me.” I went on to explain how the book had come about.
“What’s it about?”
“Extraterrestrials.”
“So, it got to you,” she smiled. “I’ve been immersed in the library and on the Internet since we returned. My friend Dolores, who you met, is a wealth of information. She’s led me to some interesting websites and videos.”
Changing the subject again, I said, “What do you do for fun?”
“I take hikes. Really like Rocky Mountain National Park.”
“I do too. Maybe we can go some time.”
“I’d like that.”
“When?” I asked.
“Tomorrow?”
I almost fell off my chair. “Sure. Maybe I can stay at my son’s house. We can get an early start.” This beautiful woman was offering to come out and play with me. Was I dreaming?
We agreed to meet at 8:30 in the parking lot for Bill Reed Middle School, just off Interstate 25 in Loveland.
After lunch, I headed back to my home to pack my hiking clothes, boots, hat, and a water bottle. I had thought about staying at Kevin’s home, but he had a young child and no spare bedroom. I decided to get up early enough to meet Heather. I was elated all the way home. This was the first woman I had met in a long time who intrigued me.
As I was awakening the next morning, I received words that I promptly recorded.
You have the opportunity to assist the growth of your soul. This is usually accomplished through the reincarnation process.
I wondered what this had to do with my meeting yesterday with Heather. I would ask her what she knew about reincarnation.
Heather and I met as planned, both on time. We loaded her clothes and backpack into the rear of my Jeep.
“I’m taking a big risk,” she said, as she climbed into the passenger seat. She smiled and said, “Going off with a strange man.”
“Having second thoughts?”
“Oh, no,” she laughed. “But just don’t try anything. I’m a judo black belt.”
“In that case, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
We drove west on CO 34 through the Big Thompson River canyon and around Lake Estes. The going was slow as we got caught behind trucks and RVs on the twisting two-lane road.
I talked about my thirty years in the business world and my recent departure from Technology Alliance where I had been the founder of the company. I explained that I had lost interest in things business. That my partners had picked up on it and had bought me out of the company, thinking they could do better without me. I told her I was exploring various business opportunities, but they held less interest than the amazing revelations we had heard from Steve Greer and what we had seen with the CSETI group, and now my unexpected book.
We arrived at the town of Estes Park a half-hour later. It was not crowded as the day was still early. I enjoyed this unique mountain town with its mountains and pine forest. There were a number of small restaurants and shops along main street.
Continuing through the town we stopped to show Heather’s park pass, then drove into Rocky Mountain National Park. The road to the Bear Lake passed through Moraine Park with its pristine trout stream. I had fished here and elsewhere in the Park last summer.
The road led us to a parking area where we were to switch to a bus for the remainder of the trip to the hiking trail head.
As an experienced hiker, Heather quickly slipped on hiking boots and shouldered a small backpack. She wore a broad brimmed hat that shadowed her lovely face. I was surprised when she pulled out hiking poles that she had slipped into my Jeep. I had not noticed them earlier. “I found these in Switzerland, two summers ago. Everyone there uses them. Now, what are you smiling about?”
I pulled out my own hiking poles that were way in the back of my rear end compartment. “I visited Switzerland a couple of years ago,” I said, as I held mine up.
“I can see already I’m going to have to watch myself around you,” she smiled and playfully poked me with a pole tip.
At the trailhead we took the trail that led past Bear Lake. Turning west on a less used trail, we started toward Lake Helene.
“I notice a little limp,” she said, “old football injury?”
“Skiing in Switzerland. My knee’s never been the same.”
For a long way, we passed through a dense grove of aspen trees. Their shimmering leaves were a bright summer green. In the fall they would turn golden. This was the part of the trail I liked the best.
Then we hiked along a steep slope of boulders and smaller rocks. I watch as Heather expertly navigated the narrow trail.
I enjoyed hiking behind her. She was a strong hiker, moved like a cat, effortlessly conquering the miles. Her faint perfume wafted my way occasionally, often enough to let me know she was just ahead.
Because the trail had been uphill and we were at over ten thousand feet of elevation, I was a little winded when we arrived at the lake; Heather appeared unfazed.
It was 11:30 and we both agreed that we were ready for a break. I found two flat rocks that were comfortable to sit on.
Around us the dark rocks of rugged mountains rose another two thousand feet. Snow was still present in their dark crevasses. A clump of aspen trees and willows along the side of the lake were in their full green glory. I saw a trout break the surface, as it came up for an insect, and wondered if the Park stocked this lake as it did others. This was miles from the trail head, so probably not.
I breathed in the aroma of the wilderness. There was nothing quite like high altitude air with its mixture of trees, bushes, and grasses. I also relished the quiet that came with the scenery and air, again far from noisy civilization.
“I love places like this,” I said, and closed my eyes to take in the quiet and smell. “This makes me feel very close to God.”
“Yes,” she said leaning back to better view the tall peaks around us. “I have come to understand that we are here for only a while as the physical vehicle for our soul. Our soul has enjoyed many such experiences in past lives.”
“I don’t know much about past lives,” I said, “but I feel what you are saying has merit. I’m just getting in touch with my feeling to be able to even say that. Coming to places like this opens me to something beyond my body, something more than just the day-to-day life I lead.”
“I’m happy to hear you say that,” she said. “I wondered where you might be with the spiritual. I’ve explored a number of religions and spiritual paths. Nothing seems to have stuck except the general idea that I am more than my physical body and that I’ve been here before.
“I’m part of a spiritual group. We meet on the Internet once a month to share experiences and to receive messages from non-physicals like Archangels through a medium.”
“Sounds interesting,” I said. In my new way of being, I would be open to something like that. My old me would have shut down immediately.
“I grew up a Catholic. Lots of that is still rattling around in my head. I don’t do that anymore, but haven’t found a path to replace that old way of seeing things.”
We sat for a long while, without speaking, just enjoying the scenery and each other’s company.
“I brought tuna salad sandwiches,” Heather said. She dug into her backpack.
I watched as she delicately unzipped the pack and dug out sandwiches and two small bags of potato chips. There was a part of the way she moved that was very feminine, another part that was very athletic, as I had seen her scramble up the trail.
“And I have delicious pastries.” I displayed the brownies I had picked up at a bakery near my home last evening. I stayed at my house last night. My son, Kevin, really doesn’t have any extra room with his child.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said, holding up the sandwich. “Plus, I enjoy your company.”
“I’m enjoying myself.” She gazed into my eyes, then gave me a smile as she quickly shifted her eyes away.
At that moment I knew we had a connection. I wasn’t sure where it might lead, but we were definitely connecting. It had been two years since I had felt inclined to connect with a woman. There had been several who had seemed initially interesting, but any connection failed to materialize after a short time. On the other hand, Heather and I had experienced something extraordinary in southern Colorado, something way out of the ordinary. That alone had brought us together. Now there was this, I really enjoyed her companionship.
“Anything new with the book?” she asked.
“I’m a little stymied at the moment, looking for more insights to continue writing. I work on it a few hours almost every day, polishing what I have, exploring new stuff.”
“I’ve put aside any efforts to get something going in the business world. This extraterrestrial stuff is consuming me at the moment. Somehow. I feel it’s all tied together, my book and research into the paranormal.”
“I know what you mean. I’m spending hours surfing the Internet. I’ve found some really interesting things that go along with what we got from Steve Greer.”
“I’d like to see what you’re coming up with.”
“Want to steal my proprietary information?” she teased.
“Sure, why not,” I said. “Now that I have a good feeling about the reality of UFOs, I need something more concrete to think the same way about the cabal.”
I caught her eyes and sensed that she had been studying me. Now she hurriedly looked away, as if I had caught her.
“What about growing up? Where did you live?” I asked.
She hesitated as if giving out such personal information was more than she wished to divulge. Then with a thoughtful sigh she said, “I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Went to both public and Catholic schools. My parents were separated so I lived on and off with each of them.
“When it came time to go to college, I wanted out of Kansas City, wanted to experience new things. I heard that CU in Boulder was a fun school, as well as academically sound. So, I applied there and to more local schools. I was accepted at CU. Guess they wanted my out-of-state tuition.”
“What about you?”
“I grew up in Denver, in a very strict Catholic family. I too had a mixture of public and Catholic schools. My teenage years were very tough. I was shy and felt like an outcast among the other kids in high school.
“I wanted to get away from my restrictive family, so I decided on CU. I had worked since I was fourteen and had enough money to help pay my way. My family was not wealthy, so the lower tuition worked well. In those days, for in-state students, it was a few hundred dollars. I worked at different jobs all the way through college.
“Then I got caught up in the business world, working for large corporations. Finally started my own company, Technologies Alliance, about seven years ago. As I told you, I left there two months ago.”
After that exchange, we sat quietly, drinking in the fresh air, the sunshine, the mountains, and the lake. I glanced at Heather a couple of times. Once I caught her looking at me.
“That’s a ptarmigan,” I said pointing to the bird scratching at the ground a little way down the hill.
“Yes, I love to watch them,” she said. “There are no birds close to where I now live. I miss hummingbirds and the others that came to my old house.”
“Can I stop by your place so you can show me what you’ve uncovered?” I asked.
“That probably doesn’t work so well. I’m living with Mary and we don’t have a lot of room in our apartment.”
“You can come to my home in Denver. It’s only an hour away. I’ve set up an office with all kinds of computer capability.”
“Maybe that could work,” she hesitated. “I’ll check my schedule.”
I immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had at least one boyfriend that needed attention.
“I have a softball game tomorrow, and another one next week,” she said. “I could work it to come down between these.”
“Just let me know,” I said. “I’ve been focusing on the monetary system, because I believe it is one of the keys to everything. Just getting started, but in my prior life, I met some of the major players. I had just never thought about them playing a game behind the facade of conventional banker or investor. More to investigate. It’s all hidden, not much available to be delved into.”
I added, “One thing that has been reinforced for me is that just because the majority of people believe something doesn’t make it true. You only have to look as far as the TV to see that the majority can be convinced of anything.”
“So true. Brain washing is as close as your TV set,” Heather commented. “I’ve been looking at the medical system and how it controls so much of everyone’s life. I’m convinced it doesn’t operate in my best interests. I’m sure the pharmaceutical companies are in control.”
She studied me for a moment, head cocked at an angle, then said, “I’d like to try coming to your house to see your fancy computer setup. How about next Monday?”
Shocked, without thinking about any possible conflicts, I stammered, “Let’s do it.”
“I’ll bring my laptop,” she said.
“Let me ask you something,” I said. “What do you know about reincarnation?”
She thought for a moment then said, “I have studied many spiritual traditions. Reincarnation is generally discussed in the Eastern religions like Hindu. I believe that my soul has incarnated in many physical bodies over the last millions of years, both here on Earth and elsewhere in the galaxy. That makes this lifetime just another moment along the journey.
“Thank you for asking. Let’s talk about it more when we have time. It’s a very intriguing subject.”
She picked up her backpack and shouldered it. Stooping to reach her poles, she grinned, “Now, I’ll race you back to the trailhead.”
Before I could react, she was off on the trail. I gathered my stuff and crammed it into my backpack. Picking up my poles, I started after her.
I tripped and almost fell. I had loosened my boots when we stopped. Sitting back down on the rock, I tied them quickly and started after her.
I found her a few hundred yards down the trail. She was calmly standing to one side as a large group of hikers came up the trail, passing by her. I could not move ahead, so I waited until the group passed me.
She sprinted ahead down the trail. Clearly, she was even better downhill than she had been on the climb up. I finally caught up when she paused at Bear Lake to talk to a group of youngsters.
Heather looked at her watch and said, “I need to get going. I have softball practice at five.”
“You’re going to practice softball after that hike we took?” I asked.
“Sure, I’m warmed up and ready to play.”
“When do you have a game?”
“In three days. We play at Carson High School in Greeley.”
I made a mental note to see if I could work this into my schedule. Greeley was not much further from my house than where we were right now.
“What’s the name of your team?” I asked.
“We’re the Wildcats.”
When I dropped her off at the Middle school, I gave her one of my business cards. I wrote my home address on the back. “It’s in southeast Denver, be sure to take the Yale exit.”
“I’ll see you on Monday,” she said. “Probably about ten.”
She did not give me a hug, as she hopped into her red Toyota Camry and drove off. I had a bit of an insecure feeling, as I watched her go. We’d just have to see how things developed from here, if at all. I did know for sure that I liked her.
On the drive home, I called Jeff Wilson. I explained the additions I wanted to make to the computer system at my house and asked for his assistance. He said he would stop at Best Buy after work, pick up the necessary cabling, and meet me at my house.