The Last Night

Every hunters nightmare… the monster under the bed. We dread this moment the second we leave, yet given the choice, we would live in this moment forever. As we prepare to depart back to our families, friends, the routine…we know the unquenchable thirst that follows. The longing for the outdoors and the call to nature that rings in our ears.

So we gulp down all the memories created during that snap shot of a much bigger picture. The euphoria when you take that first deep breath of natural,unfiltered air. The rush of excitement as you take that first step towards your journey. The first look of God’s vast creation; a piece of art painted just for you in that moment.

But with the firsts, must come the lasts. The last breath, the last step, the last look… ready to be ripped away like a bandaid; the quicker it is, the less pain we hope to feel. So we sit and anticipate the inevitable. The shadows that once danced through the trees wither away with the smoldering fire. The campfire that once wrapped you like a warm blanket, now creeps away, leaving a bare chill. The crackling embers now fade to a still silence.

And in this seemingly helpless, despairing moment, an epiphany dawns over you, like sunlight breaking through a storm. Whether you’re going home emptied handed, or with the trophy of a lifetime… it was never about the hunt or the kill…it was about this moment right here. The ups and down, the thoughts and prayers, the achievement and the loss; it was about what brought you to this exact moment in time. It was always about The Last Night.

[Tyler Carruth]