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Camping on ST. Kilda After numerous hours in the small, but fully loaded truck, we reach a road leading off into the woods. The truck shakes violently as the shocks try to do their best against the unpaved and pot-hole filled road. Your hands press against the ceiling to try and stabilize yourself as the truck bobs up and down, left and right.... Finally, we reach an opening with a medium-sized cabin in the middle. I pull the truck up to it, go inside, and get our lot number. As we drive to our site you notice that there are a few other campers out and about, but that each site is quite secluded from the others.... Minutes later, I manage to drive through to trees and, voila! Turning the engine off, we hop out, admiring our new destination for the next few days. Trees and bushes act as walls on the left and right. Behind us, you can see the road between the to trees I drove through. Ahead, you see water and a beautiful landscape. But just before your mind wanders into a state of reverie, I call out "Alright, let's get things set up!" Step by step we untie all the ropes holding the stuff down on the roof and start unloading all the stuff from there and the trunk. During this I notice you desperately reaching for the Coleman stove, just barely outside your reach. I walk up to you and nearly startle you as I reach way up for the stove, pressing against your back. Graciously I hand it to you...with a smile of course. Finally, after all the camping gear is laid out on the ground, I pick up all the tent pieces and start getting to work on that. In the mean time, you start organizing everything to go over the big dining tent over by the picnic table that was included with our site. As you do so, you look over your shoulder, just giving me a brief check. In that second you see me open the flaps and dive into the still collapsed tent. You wonder what the heck I'm doing as you see this weird shape moving around inside, almost like a monster. You laugh a little to yourself and just before you turn away, you see something in the center just push straight upwards. With a few snaps, all the poles click into place and the tent stand nice and erect. After quickly raising your eyebrows, you finish carry the box of stuff that was in your hands over to the table.... Once I was finished with the sleeping tent, I went over to put up the big dining one. As I started to assemble all the long poles and lay out the canvass, I see you put only one sleeping bag in the tent. I was sure there was to in the truck and you must have put the other one in earlier, but I don't want to seem intrusive, so I looked away, hoping you didn't catch that, but you planned it so I would... As soon as I got everything laid out, I put up one side of the tent and asked you to hold it. Then I put up the other side, and, working together, we positioned it how we wanted and then I pegged into the soft, but firm ground. Actually, looking around, I was surprised how luscious the grass was, especially for a camping site. But I shrug the thought off. It didn't take long to setup the other items after that. But, one big thing remained and it was still on top of the truck. It proved to hard for either one of us to put it up there before we left, so we did what we did before. I went down on one knee, and you climbed up and onto my shoulders.
Slowly, and steadily I got up, nearly falling over as we almost lost our balance. After a quick laugh and a sigh of relief I walked over to the truck, with you on my shoulders and walked around the truck, allowing you to undo all the latches. As soon as you undid the last latch I grabbed your upper legs, below your bottom (no need to be naughty just yet) and, using every inch of my muscles (sorry, just had to say that, you no?) hoisted you up onto the roof. Slowly, without damaging the truck we slowly slid it down. Then I portaged it to the edge of the camping ground, but didn't put it into the water just yet, besides, I had to help you down off the truck because you didn't want to jump and it was a bit high....
Well, after setting up everything, we had definitely earned our lunch. Opening the cooler, I tossed you a drink and got one for myself. Ahh, that was nice and cool! A few quick sandwiches hit the spot as we munched away, looking out the door of our dining tent and gazed out on the water.... Looking out, you could see a few boats out in the distance. The lake was pretty big and had numerous coves and inlets. We'd have fun exploring as much as we could over the next few days..
After tidying up after lunch, you handed me an ice cream that you had secretly placed in the cooler and suggested we go for a walk. Only wanting to be with you, I accepted and held up the mesh as you ducked down and out of the dining tent.... The walk was nice and peaceful, oh, and delicious to, considering the ice cream cones. With my right and your left hand folded together, we walked along the road through the very pleasant woods. The trees were very tall, almost touching the clouds. Birds flew between them, chirping and singing with the others that were there to. A few squirrels were on the ground, scurrying around, looking for nuts and other various items, getting mad if any of the birds landed too near to them.
You spotted a few of these incidents and laughed a little as the squirrel made a bunch of noises after chasing a bird away.... The walk was quite peaceful and we didn't find many occupied sites, though they were far apart, and even then we didn't see much, though it would have rude to have done so. All of sudden, as we walked by a vacant lot with a grand oak tree in the middle, you race ahead and pull my arm, heading towards the tree. As soon as we reach it, you sit down, following you, so do I and am in the middle of asking what you were doing when you quickly place your index finger on my lips, saying "shh." You tell me you have something that I've always wanted to see. I didn't realize you carrying anything as we were walking, but then again, I was only admiring your smile.... From behind your back you pull out a big stuffed bear. With a big smile on your face, you say, "Jati, I would like you to meet teddy." My eyes went bugged eyed as I finally saw the great teddy himself. ... Time passed as we just sat by the tree and talked, though I did play a little with teddy, your laughter encouraging me.... Back at our site, dinner had already been eaten, and our stomachs were delighted at that fact. As I peered out of the dining tent, the canoe seemed to just beg to be used on the lake, just before sunset. Knowing how calm he lake is, we just tossed our life jackets in the canoe and then, once we were seated, shoved off into the vastness of the lake.... whose hair danced ever so slightly in the calm breeze and whose face stared out at the colors, almost making her head look like a shadow, though perfect in complexion.... Before it got tooo dark, you wanted to explore an inlet, not far from where we were just then. We paddled, a little faster than at first, finally bearing around the bend. Rocks was mainly what we saw, on both sides, going up a good 50 feet, before the trees rose up above them and leading into the mysterious woods.... Your eyes gaze at the small, but strong inlet, interesting find for today. We paddle a little as we turn the canoe around and head out of the inlet. By the time we had cleared the rocky inlet, it began to get dark, but we could see our campsite on the other site of the lake. Tired, or so you claim, you stop paddling and we start to talk a little. Wanting to be next to me, you slowly, slyly, subtly, you move your body up over each seat in the canoe until you reach the back, with me.... You sit on my lap and snuggle up really close, your head on my chest and your arms clenching my shirt as you snuggle deep into me. I unbutton my shirt and wrap as much of it as it would let me around you. Your hands grasp this and you close your eyes, giving a big sigh. You look almost like an angel, sitting there ever so closely on my lap. I can almost feel your lungs move slightly with each breath of air that you take. I paddle slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movement as you lie there angelically, full of innocence, all snuggled in. I paddle all the way to our campsite, enjoying our closeness, giving you a slight peck on your forehead just before we arrive, though this doesn't wake you....
The canoe rides up on the sand with a lurch, but I hold you close and you don't even seem to feel anything. You just clench a little harder onto my jacket and rub your head against my chest, as if you were just checking to make sure I was still there. With every bit of balance and precision I could muster, I put my right arm around your back and lifted your legs up with my other arm and walked off the canoe ever so carefully. Afterwards I slipped the rope attached to the canoe over the peg that I had planted earlier and then carried you over to the tent, still asleep. I was still astonished that even after I had to kneel down to open the tent door, you were still asleep. I had not said a word since you had last closed your eyes....
Carefully opening the sleeping bag, while still holding onto you, I slide it between us, trying to get you to hold onto it instead. You finally did start to hold onto it and I gently laid you down, sliding a pillow under your head at the last minute. I close the door and take off our boots, socks, pants, and shirts. Looking around the relatively spacious tent, I notice that you had only put one sleeping bag in the tent to begin with. How clever! I went along with it and had to snuggle very close to you in order for us to fit and not be chilled by the crisp night air....
You snuggle up to me, wrapping your arm around my chest and place your head just above it as well, just like on the canoe. I zip up the rest of the sleeping bag and wrap my arm over your waist and onto your back. With a deep breath I look down at your unexplainably peaceful face as my eyelids begin to get heavy and fall asleep, happy.... Outside the tent, crickets start to chirp happily away, calling for their mates and the stars begin to twinkle, ever so brightly. Who knows what will happen tomorrow, for tomorrow is another day...
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Copyright@gianthoe2002 |
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