Wednesday, August 25, 2010

CB 1 -- At Camp's Silent End

I sit besides the lake as the sound of bull frogs seem to echo its surrounding theater. The mist off of the bog seems to rise with the evenings light, and the deeper sound of silence settles into this place I have called home for the summer. A loon sets its path over the trees flying over me for a moment and then disappearing on his southbound path. Gone the sounds of laughter of the youth that filled these places. Now as Camp fades towards peaceful times, I am filled with memories so thick you can only reach out with both hands to clear them away.

There is something about this place that takes you in fully. There is no in-between, you are apart of everything that abounds. It fills your spirit, your days and brings a smile that resonates deep within, when the tidings are kept good through the years. For those outside of this, I have been absent and missing. But as all things in life, there is a season, and after 9 weeks the camp comes to a close. People head off in their own direction, and those who remain behind are left with these parting moments and subtle turns. And like the silence that fills the camp, Charlie now roams with his spirit full in each moment.

Soo many faces have passed before me recently. Far to many to count, and a few I will never forget. Camp is a nexus for many, a place to live life for a week as we all wish to live it through the other days we are not here, as a community. Watching parents and youth enjoy each moment makes you feel connected to a larger scope that is not just about the day to day life. This is the place when life comes alive. After all Re-Creation is about bringing yourself into a present state of being.

So I sit and remember. Dream of the next year to come, and know that as my life flows, so too will this. Fall in my backcountry season, and the mountains do call. The snow will soon fly and I will find myself working their slopes. But for now, the last fading rays of summer fill my heart and I hope to catch their light to keep my fire burning thought those lone wintry night. Till next summer comes once again, and this forest below Mt Pilchuck is filled with laughter again...

Seek the Pipe and Heed it's Challenge....
Brinkley!