The canopy changed with the seasons, but the forest had a rhythm of its own. It didn't depend on mankind. Mankind depended on the forest - man simply hadn't accepted that yet. This was something he derived from a summer spent in a tree house he built in his eighth year, but didn't understand until he was older. In the months since the accident, he had begun to understand that he had been hiding from the troubles of that year ever since. His father had been unwilling to help him build the tree house, which had caused a rift between his parents. It seemed that they were always fighting, so he decided to build the tree house by himself using lumber from an old shed that had been torn down the year before.
The complexities of marriage were impossible for a boy that young to understand. He wasn't sure when he understood that he didn't cause the divorce, but it was years later.
He pushed the thought from his mind. He needed to stay focused. The forest could be a dangerous place. It was a living entity in which lived not only harmless animals like deer, squirrels and rabbits, but potentially dangerous animals like bear, cougar and venomous serpents. Then there was the most dangerous animal in the forest - man. Barrett always carried a weapon for protection when he was in the forest, but he’d never been an avid hunter. He understood the necessity of wildlife management, but he’d rather shoot game with a camera. He had no objection to legal hunting - or responsible logging, for that matter. It was illegal and irresponsible activity that ruined things for everyone else.
A degree in environmental science and a bachelor’s degree in forestry had propelled Barrett toward his goal of Forest Ranger. Unfortunately, a losing battle with a falling tree had smashed that dream. It had taken him six months to recover from the amputation and learn to walk using a prosthetic leg. Consequently, he was staggering around trying to find new direction in his mid twenties.
His mother had been supportive. Maybe that was because she felt guilty about not being close to him after the divorce. Now he could understand how lost she felt. Maybe fear of repeating her mistake was what made him so determined now. There was so much he was only beginning to understand.
Barrett was an only child - a source of unearned pride to his mother and a disappointment to his father. Last summer Uncle Del needed more lumberjacks and Barrett needed a summer job to pay for college books. Uncle Del ran a clean honest operation. They didn't clear cut and they replanted trees. Monroe Lumber Company wasn't a big corporation, but it managed to stay in the black year round. Uncle Del hadn’t hesitated a moment in hiring him – not then and not now.