this is the story of our camping trip//part 1

     

This is the story of how my cousin and I were swept away from civilization (ok...not literally) by our aunt and uncle and transported to a beautiful place in the mountains where we camped together. The trip was a gift to my cousin  for her birthday and I was beyond thrilled to be invited to join them on a perfect weekend vacation that allowed for a breath of fresh air (literally) in-between the first few weeks of school.

Jazz music boomed through the car on our drive to the mountains. As we made it closer to our destination, uncle Julien switched cd's changing the mood from jazz to the resounding melodies of brilliant classical pieces which resonated loudly through the car and made me feel as if I was in a movie as I sat with my window down, the wind blowing in my face, with the scent of campfires and the sweet scent of pine trees wafting through the window. 

Climbing up the mountainside road that led to our campsite, we saw hundreds, even thousands of trees covering the mountains below us and across from us.  The golden sunlight cascaded across the trees. It was a breath-taking sight. The sunset that night...oh it was gorgeous too.

We ended up setting up camp in the dark which worked out quite smoothly even with the little light provided by our flashlights and enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal made by my uncle.

As stars shone plentiful in the sky, the fire crackled with warmth, and I played my guitar to the tune of patriotic, country, campfire, and a few other types of songs. It didn't matter if I didn't play the songs completely right or if our voices were completely in tune...my aunt and I sang in between laughs, those at ourselves and those at the lyrics. "Why, in 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean' did the writer dream that his Bonnie would die...?" we wondered.
Later in our tent, my cousin and I talked and laughed as we tried to get comfortable in our sleeping bags and blankets. As Sage fell asleep listening to her music, I lay and listened to the sound of owls hooting before I finally (after turning over a number of times and worrying about having to use the bathroom and having to wake Sage up to go walk with me in the dark) drifted to sleep.

The next day was our planned hiking day. The morning air was crisp and cool and we took our time eating breakfast and exploring our surroundings. However, it wasn't too long until we gathered our food, swung our backpacks onto our shoulders, and headed onto our trail with anticipation excitement stemming from the prospect of a day full of adventure ahead of us.

 We climbed over great rocks and over a mountain to the other side where we finally reached the lake.

Though strenuous, the hike was fulfilling, we had made it. As we sat on the large flat rocks our bodies were happy to rest as we ate, and talked, and... tried to work up courage to get in to the water. It was icy icy cold. We girls were jealous of Uncle Julien's tolerance of the cold. "The secret is getting your neck wet," he said, "then...you jump in!" And in he went without letting himself think about how cold it was. Sage and I just stood nearly up to our waist in the water for maybe over a half hour squealing.

Me:"Don't push me in!"

Sage:"I won't"

Sage: "Come on mood!"

Me: "Sage I'm already at a good place"

I was slightly deeper than she was for a while, till she slipped on a rock and fell in screaming. With her in the water and coaxing me to get in to, I finally decided to dunk myself a few times We both got out, a few minutes later shivering. We're grateful for the sun. :)

The hike back to our campsite was a race. Whoever got back last had to prepare the fire and warm up dinner. The idea of a race excited us me and Sage. We took it seriously, trying to keep a good distance ahead of auntie and uncle. We ran a few paces every time we thought they were catching up, with broken laughter amidst deep breaths, as we wondered how close they were to catching up. Suffice to say, we made it back first...sore legs, sore knees, and all. We were tired. But it was fun.

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing. We rested, uncle Julien played beautiful music on my guitar, Auntie and I went down to the nearby lake to take pictures, and we drank warm peppermint tea as the air began to get chilly. Dinner was well appreciated that night. In fact, we had two dinners of sorts, because we roasted hotdogs by the fire after dark. Our last night there was ended with more conversing by the fire, singing, and laughing before we walked into our tents and lay our tired selves down into our cozy, warm sleeping bags and blankets ready for rest.

The next day would be our last camping day and I was determined to enjoy each moment of it, just as I had the first.

To be continued...