A Wonderful Trip

        I unzip the flap to our tent and walk out, letting my eyes adjust to the harsh brightness of the sun. I look upwards and wonder why the sun is so persistent at times, like it just cannot let people sleep when they could instead be enjoying it's presence. I yawn loudly and stretch, wondering just how awful I look, then smiling when I realize that I really don't care. I wonder idly if any feeling could beat the knowledge of undiluted woods surrounding you on all sides.

         I look back at the my shared tent before anything else, resting my eyes upon my good friend Cameron Brown. I've always known him to be almost irritatingly slow to rise. I wonder whether or not his body really needs all that sleep, as he already has about 20 pounds on me. “How much more can this boy grow,” I wonder. Still, it doesn't bother me. I know that if he got his act together and used that brain of his as much as his beastly body, he could very well secure his dreams of ending up in the NFL.

         I turn shaking the thought from my head, bringing myself to the present. I finally begin to feel my senses awaken with me. The rays of the sun reflect gently against the wild grass that surrounds our campsite. I hear the constant and comforting gentle flow of the stream that lies in shadow behind the trees behind me. I inhale deeply through my nose, and ponder whether or not there is any scent more fresh, more absolutely pure, than that of stark and beautiful nature.

         Finally, I find myself roused enough to convince my feet they should start moving. I curve my walk so as to make my way to the table up the low hill where Cameron's mother Sheryll sits idly, cooking up something inevitably delicious. I know bringing food to cook is sort of cheating when it comes to camping, but I believe I have the rest of my life to actually challenge nature. For now, I'll merely test the waters, deliciously cooked store-bought food included.

         “Good morning, sleepy head! Hungry?” Sheryll may as well be a mind-reader.

         “How did you know,” I reply groggily, but with a smile.

         “Oh, you boys never stop eating; it isn't hard to guess at.” She laughs; taking care of three boys who are more or less athletic heroes makes a mother pretty knowledgeable about the eating habits of growing teenagers.

         I say my good mornings to Cameron's other friends who came along, and walk over to watch the river as I wait for the food to be ready. No fish, I note silently. Very good thing we came with food. I take a seat with a heavy sigh, my muscles still getting used to the whole being awake thing. I tilt my head back and allow my face to absorb the wonderfully warm beams of sunlight. I feel completely at ease, away from all the stress and drama that comes along with being a high schooler. “One day,” I think to myself, “none of it will matter, and I can get away from all the needless stress. I can just live my life...maybe even in these woods.”

         Just then, I hear Sheryll call my name, letting me know my burrito is ready. I find myself holding a cool plate with a steaming hot tortilla upon it, containing eggs, potatoes, and sausage. I grab the ketchup and generously cover the contents of my meal. After this, I take a large bite of my treat, and groan. Nothing has ever been so amazingly pleasing to the tongue while at the same time being so simple. It must be the air here, I conclude. Every bite is every bit as tasty as the last. I eagerly head back to the table for seconds, hoping in the back of my mind that this next burrito actually fills me up so that I do not eat all of the food before Cameron wakes up. Hunger is not a trait that is wise to mix with a beast-like, growing young man.

         From what I can tell, Sheryll is very pleased with my reaction. I smile to myself. If only it were so easy to make everyone happy. For now though, I was content bringing a smile to my buddy's mother's face by chowing down on her scrumptious cooking.

         With a full stomach and a light heart, I head up the hill farther into the woods to see more of the river. As I listen to the birds singing their songs and the bugs going about as nature intended, I try to decide whether or not there could be any greater feeling in the world.