Holler Ridge Weekend Update

Why This One’s Late (And Probably Smells Like Smoke)

Holler Ridge Weekend Update

Alright… here’s the truth.

This weekend’s Holler Ridge update is late because at some point on Saturday night, a raccoon became emotionally invested in our campsite, a lawn chair lost a leg in the line of duty, and somebody said the words “watch this” without any kind of safety meeting beforehand.

It all started innocent enough. Holler Ridge planned a quiet weekend. Coffee. Mountains. Maybe a short hike. Be in bed by ten like a responsible woodland creature.

That plan collapsed immediately.

First, the weather did that West Virginia thing where it’s sunny, snowing, and somehow perfect all at the same time. Then the fire got a little bigger than expected — not dangerous, just ambitious. The kind of fire that demands attention and a second log whether it needs it or not.

About then, a raccoon showed up. Bold. Confident. Looked Holler Ridge dead in the eye like he’d paid rent. Stole half a hot dog, knocked over a cooler, and disappeared into the darkness like a legend. No witnesses. No regrets.

Later, someone found an old guitar with only four strings. Didn’t matter. Songs were played. Some of them were almost recognizable. Neighbors two hollers over may now believe a Sasquatch has learned to sing.

Sunday morning arrived quietly, except for the discovery that one boot was by the fire, one boot was by the truck, and nobody could explain how that happened. Coffee fixed most of it. The rest was solved by staring at the mountains until things made sense again.

And that’s why the update didn’t happen on time.

Because sometimes West Virginia weekends aren’t meant to be documented on schedule. They’re meant to be survived, laughed about, and written down after the smell of campfire fades.

If your weekend involved wildlife interference, poor decision-making, or saying “I’ll clean that up later” with no intention of doing so — congratulations. You did it right.

Report filed late. Memories filed forever.

— Holler Ridge