The Raw Edge Of Nature

3 Pages 838 Words

The Raw Edge of Nature

Webster’s New Dictionary defines the verb, “to camp,” as the act of encamping or pitching tents in order to dwell. Well, my personal definition of camping is much different.
During June of 1998, my friend Don and I planned a three-day camping trip into the Shenandoah Mountains of West Virginia. We informed our parents of our plan to go away for the weekend and they had no problem with it. They gave us a good bit of cash and told us to have a good time. We were well on our way to a weekend that we would not soon forget.
Don and I went shopping and bought enough food to feed a family of six for a solid week. We had it all; hot dogs, chips, sodas, water, sandwiches and of course, beer and cigarettes. It took us about an hour to get to the Skyline drive entrance from our house in northern Virginia. We then paid a ten-dollar fee for a weeklong pass; we proceeded across the mountains towards the third campground.
While heading to our camp site, we saw some cars stopped in the road ahead and there were a few people standing there taking pictures. As we neared, we realized that there were two black bears foraging in the forest. We stopped the car and took in the full breadth of nature. After a few photos we got back on the road, four miles to go and all was well.
Now our trip was about to take a turn for the worst.
We arrived at the campsite to find ten-dollar a night camping fee waiting on us. And of all that money we had been given, only five dollars remained. Yet due to some serious weather impending the park ranger allowed us to stay one night for free. So we had to act fast and get settled before the storm arrived. We picked our campsite next to a large three-family camp with two rather attractive girls. Things were looking up; we just had to get settled fast. As we began to unpack, we became aware of a few things that, in our haste to leave, we managed forget. Namely our sleepi...