th115+The+Hiking+Trip

Camping Catastrophe
Robert and his father had enjoyed hiking and camping out together ever since Robert was old enough to walk. Their favorite hiking trail was the Appalachian Trail which stretches from Maine to Georgia. They had never walked that far, of course, but enjoyed the section of the trail that passed through their part of Pennsylvania.

Although his dad always picked the date, it was up to Robert to plan the meals, shop for the food, and get all the necessary supplies packed for the outing. Dad always insisted that Robert create a checklist so that nothing would be forgotten but sometimes Robert got lazy.

"If we forget anything it won't be a big deal," Robert explained to his mother. "There are always other hikers around who will loan you a can opener or share their matches."

Mother just shook her head as if she disagreed, but said nothing. She had firmly stated from the very beginning that these trips had nothing to do with her and she would not get involved. Mosquitoes, sore feet, and using a bush for the bathroom was not her idea of a vacation.

Robert checked the calendar. This weekend was their next trip and here it was already Thursday. He had totally forgotten!

"No big deal," he said aloud, "I've packed our supplies a thousand times."

"Sure you don't want to make a list?" asked his mother sipping a cup of tea at the kitchen table.

"Never had a problem before," Robert answered confidently. "Besides if I forget one little thing, what could possibly go so wrong."

If he only knew.

As the sun began to set, Robert and his Dad began to make camp for the night. They had a ritual each year where his Dad would go exploring for blueberries just as the sun set. In the meantime, Robert would stay and set up the tent. His Dad never usually took more than an hour; if he did, Robert could expect a feast of blueberries instead of just a couple baskets. "Now you don't talk to no one until I get back," his Dad would say. "Oh, and most importantly, don't leave the campsite."

Robert began to set up camp. He pitched the tent, unrolled the sleeping bags, and even made a nice little place for a campfire. It was perfect.

About a hour later, he heard a small scream coming from the woods. He wasn't worried though. His Dad would scream at the tiniest little things and Robert just suspected his Dad had found some king of bug crawling on him. He decided to arrange the tent to be more home like than it usually would. After all, he wooooould be staying a couple extra days due to a problem with the school's lighting system.

"There, perfect," he said, admiring his work. Camping was really great.

Then Robert suddenly realized something. It had been over two hours and his Dad still wasn't back. The sky was completely black except for a couple of stars poking through the clouds. It was as if the sky was mocking him, threatening rain.

"Oh, and most importantly don't leave the campsite." echoed through his mind. He wanted to run, yell for help, go find his Dad, but he knew he just had to stay put. He grabbed "Catching Fire" out of his bag and began to read.

"Maybe this will help," he thought. But he knew it wouldn't. After about five minutes he threw the book down in disgust. Without even know what he was doing, he searched through his bag for the CB radio he and his Dad shared. It was his last way of communicating for help unless he wanted to walk three miles back to the camp office.

It wasn't there. He had let his dumb ego get in the way of everything and he had forgotten it. It wasn't there. He let it sink in and then began to cry. He didn't know what to do so he just began to cry. After about half an hour he peeked his head out of the tent. He was ready to do whatever it took. He'd searched for the whole trip if he had to.

Off in the distance he saw a light. All he could make out was a black figure walking toward him. He froze.

"Hey Sport, look what I got," a voice said.

"Dad!" he cried. Not only was he okay, he was carrying ten baskets filled to the top with blueberries. It was enough to stuff your whole extended family on Thanksgiving and still have some left over for tommorow's lunch.

Robert's Dad's hair was messed up and he was covered in mud, but Robert didn't care. Right now he was just happy his Dad was back. His Dad could explain everything to him tomorrow.

It didn't even matter that he had left the raidoio at home. Right?

"Hey uh Rob where's the radio? I want to listen to the evening news." Roberts dad said after they had hugged.

Not.