I grew up hiking. I started caring my own backpack when I was six. I learned then how a girl can pack light. Maybe that was really my parents’ reasons for taking their three daughters backpacking. A lesson we learned well: pack light when you’ll be caring it for miles and miles.
I love the outdoors, nature, peace, and being completely exhausted after a day of backpacking. My friends loved the outdoors. We had to, what else is there is do in Delaware. Don’t get me wrong I am Delaware’s biggest fan. I live in New York City now.
The woods have become something like a second home to me and I feel really comfortable there. Two of my friends and I set out to backpack a part of the AT sometime in November.
We set off. We got lost. It was late and we were tired so we set up our tent somewhere in the woods. We slept.
I pack light, too light I learned because it is essential to bring a mat when camping in November. I woke up blue and shaking. Honestly I don’t remember everything I was so cold I thought maybe I would never be warm again. I am a pretty rational girl but I am a summer girl and do not do well in cold. I get nervous when I feel like I am stuck somewhere.
“I’m going to the car, I need heat.” “Jes, you can’t go to the car because we are stuck out here because we got lost and you’ll never find the car now.” We are trapped. I am nervous. I hate being trapped.
I started to unzip the tent because I was convinced that I should get myself to some heat because I was beyond cold. Seriously how do people live in the cold? I can deal, and actually love New York 105 degree days, which actually feel like 115 because of humidity. The cold is just not me. My friend somehow convinced me getting lost out in the cold would be worst then shivering here in the tent. I’m not sure it would be worse.
So I am dying. I am sure this is the end. It’s been real. This is it. I will freeze to death. Just because I packed light. This really sucks. To me this is the worst way to go. I hate freezing. I hate feeling cold at all. This must be death.
I’m stuck, which makes me nervous, so if I don’t die from shaking and shivering I may give myself a heart attack from feeling completely out of control. I have issues. Who doesn’t?
I didn’t die. Somehow I managed the cold of November in Pennsylvania. I wonder who will play me in the movie.
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5 comments:
Jes, why didn't you have your space blanket under the sleeping bag? It's light and you can sleep on an iceberg with one of those... You know better than that!
Glad you survived, hon.
Oh, Dad. The space blanket. Is that thing useful outside of Sunday school? Who knew?
I guess this trumps our birthday freeze-a-thon a few years ago.
platis that was the trip before you gave me the space blanket. (like 3 years ago) it wont happen again cause now you have given me the tools!!!!
doggone it! I was tooling up to get you a space blanket for your birthday today, and now I'm back to square one since I forgot I already got you one.......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!!
Present will be forthcoming, but it won't be a space blanket :-(
so, you have several COLD stories....this one actually sounds a little more scary than your trip to LI...and what's this "birthday freeze" story. the LI title could be the winter version of, "trains, planes & automobiles", hee hee.....so what would the woods title be...."i know you did last november" ha.. and the birthday freeze...come on jes, sounds like you were made for winter!!!! NOT!
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