2016-08-02
Grab the gear.
Grab the dog.
Watch out for moose.
It’s Spring Hike Six: A Trilogy
Chapter 1: In Which They Walk In The Woods
All the wild flowers have sprung.
Including this wild Flower.
The wild flower finds the highest point in the forest.
She tests it for sleeping comfort, but is only impressed by the view.
She descends, into the dramatic shadows of the lush vegetation.
Ancient pillars tower above her in their never-ending quest towards the heavens.
Parched, she stops for water from a nearby well.
But adventure calls her name, and she springs back into action.
She pauses momentarily, contemplatively.
“This is my land,” she whispers into the wind. “For I have conquered it.”
The lowering sun casts its golden rays down through the canopy.
Our weary adventurer can go on no further. “Leave me!” she cries.
“Leave me for the wild boars.”
But her travel companions leave no dog behind. We will weather the night here.
Luckily, one companion is a brilliant architect of habitable establishments.
Soon, a respectable shelter is crafted. With hammocks!
Then a respectable fire is crafted.
We must consume our meager rations to survive.
We make the best with what little we have.
Flower struggles awake. Perhaps, with a bit of food, she will survive.
Before long, dinner is ready.
The exhausted puppy is jealous, but she doesn’t get any forest curry.
There are strange sounds in the night.
Chapter 2: In Which They Walk In The Woods More
Day break; dog awake.
Tired, thirsty, and dirty, the adventurers seek a lake for bathing.
It is way too cold for swimming. The adventurers seek a well for drinking.
The adventurers harass the wildlife.
Then onwards, and upwards, to the mountainous peak.
The weary travellers must break for cheese and tuna wraps.
I show the dog our intended destination, across the vast seas.
Isabelle sword fights with a tree.
We tackle the day’s final craggy peak.
And eventually find our way back to soft ground.
We venture forth, through the never-ending maze.
Stopping only to water ourselves at the delicious wells.
And to water the dog.
We pass thousands of wild boar pits. Danger lurks nearby.
But as the sunlight’s golden hue returns, the dog finds herself unable to go on.
The hammocks go up.
The dog is permanently down.
Flame on, pasta on.
The dog is still down.
The temperature drops, the fire rages.
The sun droops beneath the tree line.
But never really sets.
It’s good enough for sleep.
Chapter 3: In Which They Walk Out Of The Woods
The sun is back up and the dog is back up.
Time for some coffee.
Then it’s time for more trekking!
The boars have been here recently. We must tread carefully.
Then suddenly… the dreaded Swedish desert!
A harsh, dry landscape. Completely inhospitable to life.
A giant ball of fire in the sky scorches us, brutally sapping all of the moisture from our weary bodies.
Our water supply runs dangerously low. Chance of survival is slim.
But life… life finds a way.
And we… we find a well.
Then we find more of the normal forest, and lakes and stuff.
The dog is unsure of why we are still walking, and disagrees with the premise.
We allow her a break, and allow ourselves some chorizo.
Then we find this dead snake that Isabelle insists is a “legless lizard”.
Then we find farms, which are terrible things when you’re tired and you’re hot.
“This is a terrible thing and I’m tired and I’m hot,” says Isabelle.
She charges off without us. The birds in the field sound like techno music.
We catch up eventually, and the dog passes out.
But farms lead to roads.
And roads lead to churches.
And churches lead to lambs.
The lamb thing didn’t follow… churches lead to villages.
And villages lead to train stations!
The dog dies.
We have much, much appreciated ice cream.
Much, much more appreciated beer.
Our train comes, and the dog sleeps for 4 days.