Back To Basics
After the most emotionally confusing 15 minutes of my life, Ben and August left for Pittsburgh, leaving Marshall and I standing in the street. We talked for a good hour, during which time Marshall explained that his specific job site had closed down a week early. He then told me that he and his brother, Isaac, were going on a quick backpacking trip at the end of the month, right before returning to Columbus for good. He asked if I wanted to come!
The day finally arrived, and Marshall and Isaac picked me up. We left my house around 2:00 and drove the two hours down to Wayne National Forest. We parked, put on our backpacks, and marched into the forest. It was so humid that we were all drenched in sweat, not even a quarter of a mile into our hike.
After miles of hiking, we came to a small clearing. We stopped there to catch our breath and got a clear view of a lake that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Overlooking the lake was a cliff. "Hey, guys!" Marshall said, "See that cliff up there? About 20 feet behind that is where we are camping! We're almost there!!!"
We continued walking until we arrived at the cliff's top. We took a second to take in the view and stood in awe of the nature surrounding us. Moments later thunder in the distance added anxiety to the awe. Our new-found freedom from the worries of everyday life quickly turned to haste in pitching our tents. Broken stakes, rain, and failed attempts at being helpful from Isaac and me, only hindered Marshall's process of setting up camp. We managed to get my tent pitched. As soon as we had finished, the rain stopped because, of course, it did. We got Marshall, and Isaac's tent pitched. By some miracle, Marshall managed to get a pretty big fire started using only wet wood.
After we ate and the sun had set, Marshall, Isaac, and I went out to the cliff and looked at the stars. As we sat there, I got pretty excited! Marshall was coming home! COVID-19 has changed many things, and things are not back to normal, but Marshall coming back marks a very significant point for me. My personal life is at least starting to look like what it did before the virus hit. I know that things are far from normal, but I consider this the start of things getting back to basics!
Have a Greattastic day and be safe!
J. Mitchie Ulibarri
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