Sleeping in the tent that night was the coolest experience I had in years. I wrapped myself up in a cocoon nest with my sleeping bag and hibernated until morning dawn. Our camp area had three tents huddled together like a football team getting ready to attack and score. A tarp was hung over us for shelter from the rain. The winds outsides were gusting so hard that it made our tents slant towards the ground. As long as I was warm, I didn't care what the wind did to our tent. When morning came, I woke up to a constant tapping sound on our tent. The raindrops kept beating until the water fought its way inside. I remember seeing a puddle of water next to me but that wasn't enough to get me up and out. About an hour later, the puddle of water became a miniature pond and I ended up rolling my entire body in it! The artic cold water felt like I was being stung by hundreds of bees. In a frantic mood, I quickly fought my way out of my sleeping bag, ran out of the tent like a lunatic, and continued running until I got into Anh's car for warmth. Now I know the feeling of waking up to a splash of cold water.
At the pier, we sat in dead silence for nearly an hour. The winds have died down but the misty cold air still hung around us. My fingers were so numb that if a fish were to have taken my bait, I wouldn't have the strength or feeling to reel it in. Ming and I were probably the unluckiest fishermen out there. Neither one of us caught anything and our bodies weren't nearly as bundled up as the other guys. After two hours of pure bad luck for all of us, we all decided to head back to camp. Only Leija caught a minor 5-inch baby catfish but because of its illegal size, he had to throw it back into the lake. The time was roughly 3:30 am and all I could think of was warmth, fire, and a nice cozy bed. That night (or should I say morning), I took the longest one hour shower in hot water. It was the best feeling I had all day despite the fact that I fogged up the entire public restroom. It was so foggy that even I had a hard time finding my way out! When I stepped outside into the artic air, the heat from my skin evaporated quickly in a matter of seconds. My hope of being warm was shattered into pieces. We stayed up until 5:00 am discussing about our plans for the next day and analyzing what we had gone through. After the meeting, I peacefully slept in Anh's car while the others risked their lives sleeping in their tents.
Today turned out to be the best day so far. Although the sun hid behind the clouds, we still made it a productive day. That morning after breakfast, I decided to take a little hike on my own to explore the park since the past two day, I was imprisoned at the camp site. While hiking, I noticed a family of deer grazing at the grass and neither one of them looked up as I crept closer for a better view. When I came about twelve yards away (the closest distance I've been to a live deer in the wild), one of the young ones leaped with fright and eventually triggered the rest of the herd to follow. I had ruined their morning breakfast and was ashamed of myself. After my hike, I decided to warm up some barbecue chicken for lunch. I saw Kamesh sitting on the cooler cleverly drying his clothes over the campfire. After he was through with it, I did the same thing. All my clothes had a burnt smoky odor to it but I didn't care; as long as they were dry, I was completely satisfied.
When noon came, the guys had arrived from fishing and ended up catching over a dozen catfish! Our heroes for the day were Leija and Chad while Ming and Anh returned empty handed. Ming had apparently worked up an appetite and without even thinking, he immediately devoured him to a raw chicken leg. Taking his first bite, he saw blood streaming down the side of the drumstick. After the horrorible image, he immediately spat what was in his mouth and quickly ran for the mouthwash to prevent salmonella poisoning. We all tried not to giggle but it was too hard and I just remember giving a burst of laughter after seeing his reaction. After Ming's discovery, we ignited the fire and cooked the raw meat fully until they were burned.
That Saturday night was the most memorable and perhaps the best night of all. We had catfish nuggets for dinner. What was amazing about it was that we were able to take something living from a dirty lake and turn it into a fantastic meal. I was very proud of my crew members for their contribution to the dinner. Leija did an excellent job gutting the fish while Ming and Chad were pretending to be survivors. The weather began to cool down into the mid fifties and because we knew that it was going to be our last night, we built a bonfire. The stack of wood was about eight feet tall and the luminosity of it brightened our entire camping area. Kamesh and I battled our minds in a game of chess while the others decided to take another shot fishing off the dock. I don't recall who won the game but we played several games until the others returned. We nearly pulled an all-nighter that night talking, wrestling, and having fun outside with nature.
This camping trip was one of the best ones I've had in my lifetime. It was one of the coldest but most fun and memorable. Every time I encounter myself with nature, I try to become one with it. I try to escape my spoiled city life and try to understand what life is all about. My mind is able to think more in a philosophical way and I try picturing what is really out there in the deep blue. Who made us? "In what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes" (Blake, 443). Here, the famous poet William Blake wonders the same thing. Where did we come from? Hence, that is why I have so much faith in God and why I love nature so much. When I'm out camping and notice that someone has littered on Mother Nature's ground, an anguish flame inside me ignites instantaneously and burns throughout my body. I feel hurt to see "Mother Nature being raped" (Jones, 217). She has provided us a wonderful home and for us to disrespect Her is unjustly wrong. I sympathize greatly for Her everyday as She continually takes beatings from us. We overlook the wonderful things that Nature has given us and continually take advantage by being destructive (building more chemical plants, having biochemical wars, cutting down trees, littering...etc.) Perhaps someday, we will be taught a lesson. In the mean time, my 1996 camping trip was a blast and I would repeat it again in a heartbeat.
