Back from Camping
So I took my (almost) yearly camping trip with my family (wife, kids, folks, and brother) to Deep Creek next (or in?) Bryson City, North Carolina. This was the first year that Josh might actually remember something of it. Unfortunately for him, he’s most likely to remember (1) falling down, (2) bruises from falling down, (3) being constipated, (4) the unfortunate remedies for constipation, but maybe if I’m lucky (5) playing in the creek, throwing rocks. I’m certain to remember (1) through (4) – sheepishly, uncomfortably, albeit just the slightest jovially – but the joy on his face during our two days of (5) is what I’ll cherish.
I’ve been going to Deep Creek just about every since I was born. It’s a little more crowded these days, but not too much. The past couple of years has seen the creek at an excellent height for tubing – Deep Creek’s largest touring attraction.
Camping is good because you pretty much take care of all the necessities ahead of time and get to just enjoy the time you’re there. Lots of sitting around, walking around, naps and sleeping; lots of cooking, more eating, yet more drinking of assundry hot and cold drinks; and all of it surrounded in the smell of green wood and creek water. Of course there were bugs, but they really were not all that bad.
As previously mentioned, tubing was excellent this year. The water was neither too high nor too shallow. My brother (Michael) and I held our officially unofficial official tube race. We kept it short this year to just the upper portion of the creek – the roughest part of the creek. Michael took the early lead, but I over took him by risking going under a fallen tree. We both survived the big fall rapid, but shortly thereafter, I took a bad route and got hung up on some shallow rocks. It was right after this point that the water gets big just before entering the big swimming hole where Michael and I met head-to-head. He was in an outside-cutting-in route, and I was in an intersecting inside-cutting-out route. When our paths crossed, Michael edged me out and had the win firm in his grap, but his immediate celebration (in rule-abiding poor sports-manship) caused him a serious mistake in navigation and technique which resulted in him getting sucked into an easily navigatable rapid that pulled him forward and flipped his tube out from under him. Victory and sweet sweet laughter of hilarity was mine. My brother, white water guide and kayaker extraordinaire, was appropriately shamed. For the rest of the weekend. Especially during meals.
William was an angel the entire 5 days we were there. Not a whole lot more to say other than that. His crying was held to a minimum. He just really enjoyed being out in the fresh air. He does however have an aversion to cold water. We learned this when we took him on his first and only expedition to the creek. Tootsies can go in, but nothing else. And if you sprinkle him with cold water, he’ll tell you what for.
Lisa and I enjoyed tubing together right after the Big Race as well as the next day for good measure. Nothing like relaxing with your bride after sweet sweet victory. Lisa also played doctor in administering (twice between two days) the rectal correctives to our unenthused son. The products were sad as they were impressive. Josh-the-carb-boy needs to enjoy his fruits and veggies a little more while camping.
The rest of the time was the whole family hanging out together. We took a walk together our last full day that was nice and invigorating. We spent a lot of time around the picnic table and camp fire eating, drinking, catching up (mostly with Michael), telling stories, and generally being merry.
I had little opportunity to read – just enough to read a few pages into C.S. Lewis’s Abolition of Man. I am really enjoying this book so far – even though I’m not out of the first chapter – and I am intrigued into the direction he will take us. Lewis has me thinking at the moment that he will present a thesis that the power of words, of sentiment, of appreciation, of value are being (and, by now, has been?) attacked and destroyed. If not, then this is something I should like to think on more because it is something I see in my own life – that outside systems of operation (religion, physics, law, economics, etc) expression is at best subjectively valid while objectively worthless or at worst deceiving and dangerous.
So… that’s where I’ve been the past few days, dear reader. Don’t pretend to have missed me 