Missing the cool mountain air

I made it back alive from the woods! Who knew camping was exactly the vacation that I needed to shut my brain off and unwind for a few days.  Even though I was constantly surrounded by people and pets, it was nice to spend the days at a slower pace. Sure I got up at 6AM every day (which is basically un-heard of in my real life), and actually went to bed at gasp 9:30 every night (also un-heard of in my real life), but the days activities consisted of eating copious amounts of food, drinking home-brewed beer, and sitting around the campfire. Sure we went for some hikes, played a few games of cornhole, roamed around the woods, and I managed to get in a few yoga sessions, but I can honestly say that a majority of the trip was spent sitting down chilling out.

It was so nice to have a break from technology and overall convenience… Yes, we did have a working toilet… and running water but considering the fact that there were roughly 40 of us, the out-houses were used more often than not. It’s funny how a camping trip can really bond you together with the people around you, even if you aren’t that close. It was mostly my sister-in-law’s relatives, and though I had met most of them before, it’s not like I was bosom buddies with anyone there. It’s amazing how quickly you get comfortable around people. Two days in, no one has showered, the out-houses are beginning to fill up,  brushing your teeth is optional, and everyone has dirt places we didn’t want to discuss. And yet we are all happy as clams around the camp-fire.  What can I say, nothing can connect an overly large group of extended relatives quite like a fart joke, and homemade alcohol… Oh how I love the woods.

Of course most everyone there had been privy to my Christmas Turducken experience, and I like to think that that set the tone for our woodly bonding. The only thing that can bond extended family quicker than a fart joke is an awkward holiday poultry experiment. 

 My brother and I on day two

Even though we had a great time, I can safely say that at the end of four days, we were all ready for a shower, and running water that wasn’t coming out of a creek. It was funny driving back towards the valley, we encountered several other people who looked like they were on their way back from a similar weekend. You can recognize that slightly lived in camping look among the others gathered at Starbucks… and you can feel the shower anticipation in the air…

That is the disappointing thing about coming back from a trip… when you are headed into the mountains with your boxes of food, freshly brushed teeth, and overall excitement. You cannot wait to get there! The drive seems to go fast, and the whole weekend is before you. And then Monday morning, you pack up your stuff, take half the dirt in the forest with you, and the only thing standing between you and a pretty full work week is a mountain of laundry and the unloading of the car.  (Unless of course you are like me, and you put off un-packing pretty much until you physically run out of clothes and actually need the ones still stuffed in your suitcase).

Of course I made it back to the valley just in time for the annual sweltering heat wave… as I lay here thinking about how it is too hot to sleep, I’m missing the mountain air and the dirt between my toes.