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Campfire Tales:  Lets Start a Story!  |
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 28 2008 : 02:30:15 AM
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We used to do something fun in some of my literature classes where we all start writing a story and then pass the torch on to the next person. I will start and then I suggestively nominate Jen to pick up the thread if she wants, but anyone is welcome to jump in at any point! What do you think? Oh yes, and this is all "first draft" writing, so don't fret if it isn't perfect! It's just for fun!
I will name my heroine "Jane"...
Jane walked down the slight path easily. Her pack on her back was secure. The small creek next to her burbled softly over multicolored stones. Occasionally a bit of mica or quartz would reflect a flash of light as she walked past.
Jane had already walked about 10 miles in from where she had parked her vehicle. A weekend away from the hustle and bustle in the "city". It was so nice to be away, back to her forest home that was so much an essential part of her very core. Jane had already stopped once to refill her canteen from the creek using her water filter, of course. She had checked her map against the visible landmarks and knew she was on track to reach the main river by nightfall.
These mountains were very steep, craggy and beautifully wild. For each mile forward she walked, she was often walking that again as the grade fluctuated and she entered and left small valleys. Somehow, the workout was exhilarating. No workout in the Club or even running the streets could quite compare to striding along in the forest. The solid thump of her hiking boots hitting the dirt was confident, and the wind sighing through the pine trees was a balm to her soul.
As she stopped for a quick lunch, she saw some bear tracks by the water. The followed her path for a while and then veered off into the forest. Bear safety was certainly a concern. While Jane always carried bear repellent while hiking, she would prefer to not have to use the dangerous stuff.
Twilight found Jane as she crested walked through the trees to her first campsite. Here the largest river in this section of the mountain created a soft bow in the forest. Past floods had pushed the beach further into the forest and there was a large clear area in which to pitch a tent to take advantage of both the last rays of the sun, and the first rays in the morning.
Where is Jane off to in the morning? Will she see deer? Moose? Elk? Bear? What is going to happen? What dangers, trials or tribulations will she experience?
Elizaray |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2008 : 12:09:18 PM
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This is such a GREAT idea!! I'll have to find a couple more minutes so I can add on. Gotta go pick up the girls from school now, so see y'all later!
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2008 : 08:17:28 AM
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*coughs* Jen did you forget about Jane?
Elizaray |
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LindaEllen
outbound
25 Posts
Linda
Missouri
USA
25 Posts |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 12:35:20 PM
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Ok, ok, Elizaray - I'm back! Here's a moment from Jane's evening beside the river...
Jane knelt and reached her hand into the cold water along the river's edge. Her fingers felt for a stone, any stone. This was her own secret tradition, a sort of rock-reading. She'd sought the wisdom of river stones since she was a child. Somehow, they spoke to her.
She stood and opened her hand to see it. The stone she'd chosen was smooth and gently oblong. Its rich shade of butterscotch would fade to dusky amber when it dried, but for now it looked sweet enough to taste. The stone fit perfectly in the hollow of her palm, like a friend. Still cool from the glacial water of the river, this small stone felt like a treasure Jane didn't know she'd been searching for. It briefly, but somehow prophetically, reflected the deepening violet of the evening sky.
Slowly, as she held it within her closed fist, the stone warmed to the temperature of her skin. And as they melded, it began to suggest a story that Jane begged to hear. But this time the stone would not yield. Its silence implored Jane to unfold instead—her floods, eddies, currents, and pools. Standing in the chill mist beside the river with her fingers clasped around this talisman stone, she sensed a convergence within herself. Streams of time and love, sorrow and knowledge tumbled her in the torrent of memory and merged at her core. At that moment, she was the confluence of all the wild rivers she had ever known. And she wondered where this watershed might lead.
Then, suddenly aware of the coming night, Jane opened hand and allowed the stone to roll through her fingers, to slip from her grasp. With a splash that only Jane heard, it fell back into the anonymity of the river.
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 6:15:29 PM
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Wonderful addition! Who's next?
Elizaray |
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2008 : 06:34:22 AM
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Jane returned from the riverbank to her campfire. The evening sounds of the riverside and the encroaching forest rolled over her. These were the sounds that were the life blood of her spirit.
As she enjoyed a cup of tea after dinner, she thought about her solitary hike during the day. It had been exactly what she needed as an antidote to her normal work-a-day life. But even on that hike, she had seen too much evidence of human activity.
The trail signs were long left behind, but occasionally a piece of trash marred the beauty of the landscape. Jane, of course, practiced "No impact" or "leave no trace" camping. Everything she brought to the wilderness was packed back out unless it was easily biodegradable. If it was clean burning, she would burn it, and any solid biodegradable waste was buried at least 6 inches deep. Each time that she came across something man made during her hike, Jane had stopped to collect it if possible. She had a special bag in her pack, just for other people's garbage. She had been surprised to see a nice feather sleeping bag that had been forgotten or abandoned many years ago. She had found it rotting away in the shelter of a large boulder. It was too far gone for Jane to dispose of it, luckily it was all natural cotton and down, so it was not damaging to the area.
Slowly, Jane's tea cooled, and she finished the last few swallows. Her pack minus the food back was stowed into the tent, an the food bag was raised some 20 feet into a pine tree about 100 yards from the camp. Keeping food around the camp was dangerous. In fact, the fire itself was by the food tree so any bear sniffing around would not be close to the tent.
Jane extinguished the fire, making sure the fire pit was safe before heading to bed. The next day's trail was more difficult. Several minor rivers to cross, a waterfall to see, and the trail would get steeper after mid day.
She snuggled into her sleeping bag, several layers of clothes still on, her stocking cap securely on her head and her feet cozy in wool socks. The night temperatures would bring frost this late in the year and the mountain temperatures could fall below freezing.
What's Jane's next adventure?
Elizaray |
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Campfire Tales: Lets Start a Story! |
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Lets Start a Story!
