We just returned from our annual trek to the great outdoors. OK, so my version of camping would never make it to the Discovery Channel...Jeff Corwin would laugh at me, as would the guy from Wilderness vs. Man, but hey, it works for me. I don't need to eat grubs, sleep in a grass hut, nor suffer extreme conditions to commune with nature. I love the great outdoors, with the utmost respect for all of God's creatures, I just don't care to sleep with them.
I enjoy the idea of escaping reality for a few days, where I can be as anti-social as I want to be. I'm not required to play nice, I can float off on an intertube to complete solitude. The kids love it as well. They have the opportunity to have the freedom I experienced growing up, while I'm comforted by the fact that they are in a safe environment. What could be better.
This year was met with new challenges. In my attempt to be Nature Girl, I managed to twist my ankle on the first expedition. This however, did NOT stop me from continuing on. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't walk, so of course, I kept right on walking. Day 2 and 3 led to extreme sunburn, that I'm sure will begin peeling any moment.
It was all worth it though, every moment. I made it Yosemite, where we hiked to the vista point at Bridalveil Falls. For the extremist in my party, there was a dip in the pool created by the fall. As they returned to the edge of sanity, they were shivering from their experience.
I found it disheartening this year though. The snowfall apparently was very light this year, causing the usually massive waterfalls to appear as slow leaks. Although I heard that a day before we went, a bear cub was wandering through the visitor center area, we did not witness such a sight. My teenage son swore he saw something black in a rock area, near where we were hiking, but even though it looked like the perfect spot for a bear's den, we found only what we could assume to be paw prints, nothing more.
No matter what the condition of the day, Yosemite is an awe inspiring place. What I found was that the many pictures I've seen over the years, just somehow don't do it justice.
Although, I'll never have my own Discovery Channel show trekking through the wilderness in search of something creepy and crawly...I will always have an immence respect for nature. Even though I prefer cooked meals, electricity and other modern conveniences, I do enjoy getting away from it all, seeking refuge in the great outdoors. But, now I'm back to reality, the daily grind of life. Hope you enjoyed your break from me as much as I enjoyed getting away from it all. I'm back to having to be social, playing nice, being fair. It is so nice to have my one week a year where no rules apply and I have the opportunity to visit God's great playground.
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