At Home in the Woods

Oh camping is so much fun! My most recent trip was this past Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, which was much too short but was all the time we had. Since beloved Rabbit is moving far away very soon (in exactly one week!), we all very much wanted to get in one last camping excursion and trip before she left and this was the last chance we had. So, as early as we could on Sunday, Rabbit, Wolf and I headed out to a previously found campsite about a half hour east of town. It was perfect! Free camping, absolutely no neighbors, peaceful and very good energy, what more could we ask? Well, less horse poo would have been nice, but all in all it was a great spot. We set up camp, explored, gathered and organized firewood and prepared for our trip while we waited for Pine to arrive. Once he got there, Pine and I set up our sleeping quarters (see photo) and then...off we went!

It was a good trip. All of us went on a little excursion together before the light died to a dried up creekbed. That's when we are the quietest, entry. So we sat and soaked everything up in the dying twilight, us beginning to peak. The beautiful, subdued fall colors were beginning to pop, and combined with the blacks and grays of the bare trees and the myriad of textures and patterns created in that dusky light, created magic for the eyes. It was a bit rough for me though, but thankfully that doesn't last too long. We lost Wolf for a while, so it was just Rabbit, Pine and I wandering back closer to camp. We found a nice clearing where we could lay down and watch the clouds pass over the moon. It was like a dance. The dusky, smoky purple and gray clouds were fringed with deep oranges and yellows and they would occasionally break to tease you with the slightest glimpse of the amazingly bright moon, waxing past half. Wolf came back soon enough, barefoot and barechested, ready to start spinning his stick. It was mindblowing this time! Such speed and accuracy! It looked pretty awesome too. It's always fun to watch Wolf spin his stick, it's very magical.

Soon we headed back to camp where Pine and I spent some time together while Rabbit and Wolf went off again somewhere to play (it actually worried me later that I couldn't find them! I was like a little lost wolf pup wandering about barefoot along the dirt road howling, listening for a response, wandering, yipping). I, of course, had to have my alone time to commune with the Earth amongst the trees and mosses on the forest floor. It's like worshipping really, paying my deep respects to the greater whole that we are all a part of. So, I had to occasionally wander off alone, I even had to stop Pine from following me once because I needed to be just me. Every time I came wandering out of the forest I was either growling and yipping or calling his name, ha. It really brings out the animal in me.

The two of us were very unsuccessful at starting a fire when we had decided we wanted one, we even totally demolished the prearranged teepee made out of kindling and paper that Wolf had prepared. When they got back from their excursion, Wolf set out to start the fire (after gently berating us with a slight smile on his face and that little gleam in his eye) and to all our delights he furnished us with a warm, roaring fire, the glowing coals of which drew us all in for the rest of the night. Then Wolf brought out his flute (no tears this time!) which did not fail to bring out in me deep feelings and a strong sense of a brother/sister connection. I feel very strongly that Wolf is the big brother I never had. Pine decided to entertain us with his awesome fire eating skills and Wolf accompanied him for a while, which was lots of fun! The rest of the evening we just watched the fire, talked, watched the stars and moon after the clouds all cleared up and just enjoyed the night and each other. Pine and I stayed up for a while after Rabbit and Wolf went to bed and then eventually headed that way ourselves.

Rabbit had to get back to the real world for work in the morning, so her and Wolf left fairly early. Pine and I stayed around a bit, doing some exploring and breaking down camp. I would have liked to stay longer as I really did not want to go back, but it was getting quite chilly. So we decided to head back to town for lunch and a rest before Pine had to head home. I had a hard time coming back, it seems to get harder every time! Work was almost painful the next day, even though I'd had plenty of rest. Dealing with our reality, this "real" world, can be incredibly frustrating, especially after such a trip.

So, despite the fact that it was entirely too short, our camping trip was great. Quite refreshing and very needed.