Walk to Cushman View

Triplets

Mick Freed's Resting Spot

Mick's View at Cushman

I decided to take a long walk up to Cushman view, which is about 4 miles from the house with the dogs this morning. It was cool when we started about 47 degrees, perfect for a walk. The hardest part of the walk is the 2 mile climb up Cedar Mountain you go up about 1000 feet in elevation. About a mile from the house are the Triplets three oaks growing together that mark my half-way to the top of Cedar Mountain point.
When I reached the top of Cedar Mountain, I decided to walk the pipeline, which comes out just about a half a mile from Cushman view. I let the dogs romp a little farther from me in that area, since I didn't have to worry about cars. The distance proved too much of a temptation for Scooter and he found some bear crap to take a roll in just out of my control. So the rest of our walk the air carried a bit stronger scent of bear.
Cushman view is on a turn in the road that opens up a view of hundreds of square miles of forest. Above the road is the resting spot of Mick Freed long time resident of Leetonia, who passed on a little more than a half year ago. Mick has a nice rock below him and his view of the valley is unsurpassed. I talked to Mick a bit and seemed to sense he is happy not to be working so hard now. I have often felt him sitting there on that rock overlooking Leetonia and making sure all is well with the place he loved so much. Leetonia gets in your soul as much as any relationship, but it is a hard place to crack out a living. For people who love the company of a lot of people it can be desperately lonely. Still sitting there looking out over the forest it is hard to deny anywhere is more beautiful to live. The early color in the trees is disappointing this year as most of the maples are just dropping leaves. Hopefully, the oak will come through with a bit a red sometime in the next couple weeks. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Mountain Man Mick Freed

Longtime resident of Leetonia Mick Freed passed away on New Years Eve. Mick was the true Mountain Man in Leetonia and honorary Mayor. He loved this woods and everything in it. Mick’s favorite snack was always ice cream before bed at 8pm. In fact, it was the one thing he would drive through a blizzard to get. I think much of his freezer held this precious commodity he bought on sale during 2 for 1 special.

Winter was one of Mick’s favorite times. Before the road got plowed other than snowmobilers few people came back here. It was time he could take a break from mowing lawns and taking care of cabins to catch up on reading, mostly his westerns. His favorite actor, was John Wayne, whom he had a large poster of on the wall in his cabin.

Mick was a master of being alone in the woods. His wood stacked with care on his porch in such a fashion he could tell you what day of winter it was by looking at what he had used. He snowmobiled in and out dragging a transport sled behind his snowmoble to get groceries. No fancy snowmobile outfit for Mick he wore brown overalls and a winter coat and his helmet or should I say leather cap looked like an old leather football cap. The only time I heard him complain was when his eggs had all broken because of the rough ride.

He helped us a lot the first few years getting to know our way around. After our first winter here, I saw Mick driving down the road.

He yelled at me, “Time’s wasting better start getting firewood!”

After ten years, I realize how right he was. There are two seasons up here: firewood burning season and firewood gathering season and no time in between.

One time when Lee was gone for several weeks and I was alone up here, I thought I would go visit Mick. I snowmobiled down to his house hoping for a conversation. Mick always had his place cooking with a hot fire and something on top the stove cooking. Well, ended up I was the only person talking. All of his answers were one word usually nope or yep. So soon I drove my snowmobile back home and realized he was much better at this hermit stuff than I would ever be.

During the summer months Micky was busy fixing things at cabins and mowing grass. The grass mowing could be an almost constant job if it rained a lot. Mick drove his John Deere lawn mower to most his jobs. It wasn’t uncommon to have to give a little tap on the horn to get around him driving his lawn mower through Leetonia.

As we drove home tonight with the snow falling, I thought of Micky loving this time of year at his cabin reading, sitting by the fire, eating ice cream. We all will miss you Mick, you were one of a kind. Mountain girl, Paula, logging off.