An Extraordinary Journey

Picture this: You are out camping in a valley by a large lake, and it is nine o’clock at night. A mirrored image of the snow peaked mountains lies behind you are reflected on the icy water. The calm and unruffled glacier air opens up your lungs as you gladly inhale the moist air. The sun starts to set around nine, and a feeling of aloneness and uncertainly encloses you, possibly even frightening you and raising the little hairs on the back of your neck. The sound of silence soon gives way to coyotes, owls, and other wild creatures of the night. The night sky gives way to the feeling and awareness of the immenseness that exists around you, reminding you of how miniature we truly are compared to this enormous world.

This was how it always felt whenever I was on a camping trip with my aunt and uncle. When I reflect back on my childhood, I cannot help but remember by heart those occasional and sporadic camping trips with the both of them. As my parents were always away on some business trip, I always enjoyed these excellent journeys where I was out and about in the wilderness, instead of the idling, stagnate air-conditioned air of my enclosed home. While my other friends were at home, watching the television or playing video games, I was out on our latest adventure. I imagined myself as a new pioneer, thrashing through the woods, and bellowing out to the world that I was king of this land, setting down my flag as I claimed this new land for my country. I felt quite daringly heroic. My aunt and uncle would always watch me with a big grin from ear to ear on their face. Although camping was sometimes a particularly long trip, it can still be one of life’s greatest comings and goings. It is much more than an array of panoramic views; the contentment of reaching the end of your trail as a true wilderness experience can uplift anyone’s spirit. Although it is not for everyone, I must admit, many people like myself do tend to find it alluring. There are qualities of camping that bring inspiration and joy in a pursuit that is beyond a pastime or a sport; it is a passion and sometimes a convulsion.

There was one camping trip in particular that stands out from the rest, which deserves the proper recognition. Little did I realize, it would be a day of near-death experience that I was mandated to handle. I remember exactly how I had felt when I stepped out of my aunt and uncle’s jeep into the crisp morning sunlight. This camping ground, a name I can hardly remember, was to be a weeklong journey spent fishing, camping, and enjoying all that nature had to offer, just my parents and me. I turned to face the trail that led to the campground and was surprised to see quite possibly the most uneven, jagged trail I had ever seen. I turned back to my family to see if they were sure that we had the right location and they waved at me as they hauled our stuff out the back door of our vehicle. I shrugged my shoulders and looked up to a cloudless sky. I swear that it must have been the scorching summer on record, with a temperature around eighty degrees – and it was still morning.

At first, the departure from that parking lot was easy. My uncle hummed a song as my aunt babbled on about all the fun we were going to have. The first few thousand steps of trail were extremely thick with vegetation, and a seemingly fair, cool breeze was blowing. Then, all abrupt, the trees parted to a clearing as the trees just ceased to exist and all that lay ahead was a gigantic lake. As I stared in awe, maybe even a little frustration, my family and I decided that it would be best if we rested first with a drink of water under the shade. It was very comfortable sitting there in the shade. I remember thinking that this must be what dreams are made of, as the area appeared as beautiful to that of a work of art. That following night, as we set up our sleeping bags and started a little fire to warm ourselves from the chilly air rising from the lake, my uncle sat there by the fireside, closing his eyes and strummed his guitar, singing another one of those cheesy “campfire” songs.

The next day, excited as I was to get started with our trip, we still had to unpack all of our things and set up camp. However, I was too excited to even carry out any tasks in an organized way, so my aunt just looked at me and smiled, releasing me from my chores. I ran off like an Indian, bawling at the top of my lungs and throwing my hands into the air as I belted towards the water, jumping in with a big splash and feeling the water filling my nostrils and ears, gushing over my heads. A few seconds later I plunged my head back into the world, taking a great big gasp of air and paddling a bit on my back as I closed my eyes and wondered how anyone could ever want a different way to spend their time than this. I doggy-paddled around the lake for a while until I tired of both the water and the undying sun’s rays, then I began to swim back to shore towards my family, anticipating my lunch. However, something in particular caught my eye as I was turning back. In the middle of this lake existed a little island; one I believed had this energy of drawing me towards it. I made a mental note to return back to this part of the lake sometime.

As I hurriedly shoved the sandwiches down my mouth, I made a secret pact with myself that I was going back into that water when my aunt and uncle were fast asleep tonight. The rest of the day went by as planned, a bit of exploring of our surroundings alongside little silly games my uncle always played with aunt and I. Day turned into dusk, and dusk turned into night. As we all wished each other a good night, and my uncle turned over his last turn as he fell into a deep snooze, I pushed my sleeping bag off of me down ever so quietly, and ran towards the water, splashing my way until I no longer could feel my feet on the squishy bottom. Turning my direction towards that little island, I imagined all the things I would do there, as it was my private getaway from the rest of the world…

However, the worst could have happened to any swimmer, especially one as amateur as myself; a cramp so powerful, a Charlie Horse seemed minuscule to this restricting muscle spasm. As I reached down for my leg, I lost control of my swimming and began to feel myself slowly sinking down into the deep darkness, sputtering and screaming as the water rushed into my lungs, my ears, my eyes, every which away. That’s all I can tell you now, as I was quite certain that I was facing death before my eyes, and I sunk farther down with a regret on my mind.

As I came to, I realized I was in my bed, and my aunt had a chair pulled up next to my bedside. She was asleep, and her head nodded off to the side. I immediately sprung up in bed, uncertain of my location and if this was what heaven really was like. This must have awoken my aunt as I blinked and rubbed my eyes, kicking the sheets away from me and wanting to run to the window to see what in the world was going on. I heard my uncle’s scream, along with two other individuals I believe were my parents, and a door banging open as both of my parents and my uncle rushed to me, embracing me as if it was the first time in years.

To this day, I am grateful that I am alive, but as we all know, our mistakes can make or break us. With this being said, though I am grateful and indebted that I am still alive to this day and can share my story with you, I hope that the moral of my story could save another life. I regret the choice I ever made to rush off alone in the middle of the night into the water – it could have been the most fatal mistake I’d ever made. I would’ve never had the chance to experience my first kiss, jumping for joy when I got my first permit to drive, or even the additional camping trips that followed after this one. In retrospect, without some prevailing angel watching over me, I would’ve just been another wretched article in the local paper about my untimely death… and that would have been the conclusion of my life. However, I am alive and well, and looking forward to many more years to come!