My first camping trip at age 26
I got home from work and immediately took a shower to wash the smell of bleach and tomatoes off, and quickly packed my rucksack full of the essentials. Swim shorts, extra shirt, socks, toothbrush etc. 26 years old and I have never been been camping. That old childhood wonder was in full effect. Jeremiah and Salina showed up about 5 p.m. and we were on our way. We stopped for gas and cigarettes and I bought a few powerball tickets. We took off on our adventure and as we drove, I looked at the rows of telephone poles lined up and all I saw were rows of crosses and I was ready to be crucified for whatever. Jeremiah talked and I listened and then we put on some music. We ended up getting a little bit lost and so we had to pull over at a gas station in a small town where we consulted a map and a state trooper who was saintly and had icy blue eyes and he gave us directions and we were back on the road.
We made it to Lafayette Blue Springs State Park in the tiny town of Mayo with about an hour or so of sunlight to spare. Salina's friend Fredo met up with us just as we made our way to the campsite. Jeremiah and I started gathering wood for the fire while we still had some sunlight and Salina and Fredo set up the six person tent with impressive speed. I was gathering small armfuls of sticks but Jeremiah insisted that we take these incredibly large, heavy pieces because they would burn better and so we did, he knowing more about starting fires than I, with his years of Boy Scouts experience. I'm from Brooklyn. Only arsonists and the homeless start fires where I'm from.
The fire was roaring now and we all sat and watched, intently and shared stories and drank. The smoke of our cigarettes mingled with the smoke of the fire and the white ashes rose and fell on us like gray city snow.
I played Dosh from iPod and laid back on the blanket to watch the stars. Usually, the enormity of all the stars filling a night sky begins to fill me with dread and uncertainty and reminds me of just how immense the universe is and it all scares me a little, enough to the point where I have to look away. But the trees blocked out just enough of the sky so that the stars shining through their boughs just made it look like they were decorated in Christmas lights and I was content to stare a while.
We cooked hot dogs on long skinny branches and they were getting covered in ash and overcooked but they were still delicious and I had three and and a beer with each and started getting sleepy. Salina and Fredo recounted stories from their years in high school together and I thought of how in one month it will be ten years since I graduated from high school and I felt old. Jeremiah stoked the fire.
I watched the flames and listened for a while longer before falling asleep. The fire made some of the smaller branches appear as though there were some ancient glowing runes carved into them. It reminded me of the writing on the one ring from Lord of the Rings.
It was growing darker and I went inside the tent to sleep. In my haste I had forgotten to pack a pillow or a blanket so I had to use my towel to rest my head on. As soon as the fire was out, the temperature dropped rapidly to where my entire body stiffened against the ground. I wore my sweater and put my socks back on but it didn't help. I was so cold that my joints and spine began to ache from being so rigid, and the ground was hard and sharp against my ribs. It was awful. But every time I looked up at the stars through the top of the tent I was reminded of why I was doing it. In the middle of the night, we were all startled out of sleep by the sounds of owls hooting loudly in the distance. After a minute of call and response between the owls, they began to shout out the most horrifying noise I'd ever heard. It sounded like howler monkeys on a rampage. But after a minute or two it died down and we all returned to fitful slumber. I curled myself into a classic fetal position and Jeremiah mumbled someone's name in his sleep.
When morning came, Jeremiah and Salina were up with the sun and Jeremiah was already at work building the fire anew so that we could cook the sausages we brought for breakfast. Fredo and I crawled out of the tent later. All of us were glad to have the sun on our backs again. I was feeling good and decided to climb a tree and felt the excitement of childhood in my chest. We ate and decided to pack up all our gear and bring it to the car before we looked for a place to go swimming in. The water was freezing cold and I didn't want to get in so I just rolled up my jeans and got in as far as my knees. Jeremiah and Salina jumped in and Fredo followed. He swam out pretty far and let himself get swept up in the current. The morning air was brisk and the water felt great and for a moment my mind was entirely at ease.
Jeremiah skipped some stones on the surface and I took a photo of him and watched the stones jump one, two, three times before plunking into the tea-tinted depths.
When we were done swimming, we dried up and packed the rest of our gear and decided to drive into the town of Mayo to find some coffee. We stopped at the Mayo Cafe, a sweet little southern diner that had wood walls and deer heads mounted all around. It was the perfect diner, straight out of dusty, old dreams of the muddy south. We ordered coffee and sandwiches and I had my first patty melt and it was fantastic. We finished or meals and talked for a while before heading back out on the road and back home. On the car ride back, Jeremiah fell asleep and I wanted to too, but I felt bad for poor Salina in the drivers seat, tapping her little fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the soundtrack provided by Pomplamoose, Dosh, Regina Spektor and Eyedea and Abilities. I fought the urge to nap and watched all the raw road moving and read all the signs about mayhaw jelly and boiled peanuts. I got home and gave Noodle a big cat hug and wrote it all down.
We made it to Lafayette Blue Springs State Park in the tiny town of Mayo with about an hour or so of sunlight to spare. Salina's friend Fredo met up with us just as we made our way to the campsite. Jeremiah and I started gathering wood for the fire while we still had some sunlight and Salina and Fredo set up the six person tent with impressive speed. I was gathering small armfuls of sticks but Jeremiah insisted that we take these incredibly large, heavy pieces because they would burn better and so we did, he knowing more about starting fires than I, with his years of Boy Scouts experience. I'm from Brooklyn. Only arsonists and the homeless start fires where I'm from.
The fire was roaring now and we all sat and watched, intently and shared stories and drank. The smoke of our cigarettes mingled with the smoke of the fire and the white ashes rose and fell on us like gray city snow.
I played Dosh from iPod and laid back on the blanket to watch the stars. Usually, the enormity of all the stars filling a night sky begins to fill me with dread and uncertainty and reminds me of just how immense the universe is and it all scares me a little, enough to the point where I have to look away. But the trees blocked out just enough of the sky so that the stars shining through their boughs just made it look like they were decorated in Christmas lights and I was content to stare a while.
We cooked hot dogs on long skinny branches and they were getting covered in ash and overcooked but they were still delicious and I had three and and a beer with each and started getting sleepy. Salina and Fredo recounted stories from their years in high school together and I thought of how in one month it will be ten years since I graduated from high school and I felt old. Jeremiah stoked the fire.
I watched the flames and listened for a while longer before falling asleep. The fire made some of the smaller branches appear as though there were some ancient glowing runes carved into them. It reminded me of the writing on the one ring from Lord of the Rings.
It was growing darker and I went inside the tent to sleep. In my haste I had forgotten to pack a pillow or a blanket so I had to use my towel to rest my head on. As soon as the fire was out, the temperature dropped rapidly to where my entire body stiffened against the ground. I wore my sweater and put my socks back on but it didn't help. I was so cold that my joints and spine began to ache from being so rigid, and the ground was hard and sharp against my ribs. It was awful. But every time I looked up at the stars through the top of the tent I was reminded of why I was doing it. In the middle of the night, we were all startled out of sleep by the sounds of owls hooting loudly in the distance. After a minute of call and response between the owls, they began to shout out the most horrifying noise I'd ever heard. It sounded like howler monkeys on a rampage. But after a minute or two it died down and we all returned to fitful slumber. I curled myself into a classic fetal position and Jeremiah mumbled someone's name in his sleep.
When morning came, Jeremiah and Salina were up with the sun and Jeremiah was already at work building the fire anew so that we could cook the sausages we brought for breakfast. Fredo and I crawled out of the tent later. All of us were glad to have the sun on our backs again. I was feeling good and decided to climb a tree and felt the excitement of childhood in my chest. We ate and decided to pack up all our gear and bring it to the car before we looked for a place to go swimming in. The water was freezing cold and I didn't want to get in so I just rolled up my jeans and got in as far as my knees. Jeremiah and Salina jumped in and Fredo followed. He swam out pretty far and let himself get swept up in the current. The morning air was brisk and the water felt great and for a moment my mind was entirely at ease.
Jeremiah skipped some stones on the surface and I took a photo of him and watched the stones jump one, two, three times before plunking into the tea-tinted depths.
When we were done swimming, we dried up and packed the rest of our gear and decided to drive into the town of Mayo to find some coffee. We stopped at the Mayo Cafe, a sweet little southern diner that had wood walls and deer heads mounted all around. It was the perfect diner, straight out of dusty, old dreams of the muddy south. We ordered coffee and sandwiches and I had my first patty melt and it was fantastic. We finished or meals and talked for a while before heading back out on the road and back home. On the car ride back, Jeremiah fell asleep and I wanted to too, but I felt bad for poor Salina in the drivers seat, tapping her little fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the soundtrack provided by Pomplamoose, Dosh, Regina Spektor and Eyedea and Abilities. I fought the urge to nap and watched all the raw road moving and read all the signs about mayhaw jelly and boiled peanuts. I got home and gave Noodle a big cat hug and wrote it all down.