About three hours south of St. Louis is Sam A. Baker State Park. We took two cars, Leah and Rusty in one and me and Jimu in another. We lost cell phone coverage pretty early on in the trip (we were in the sticks). Luckily, I brought a set of small walkie-talkies which we used to communicate between the cars. This turned out to be really helpful. We got to the park and discovered that the camp office was closed. So, we couldn't pay for our campsite...we decided to build our camp anyway. Leah and Jimu set up the tent (Rusty sniffed and enjoyed the nature).
The next thing we did was explore the area around our camp. Directly behind our campsite we found a swiftly moving stream. It was really cool. Jimu went "natural" pretty much right away. Taking off his shoes and shirt, he really devolved into a mountain man. Not being a nature person, it was good having him around...he was gung-ho about doing a lot of the "mess" work. He built a fire, and generally kept it burning the whole time we were there. Leah and I scavenged for wood in the other campsites fire pits. Jimu tore a small tree in half and used two other trees to break it apart. I think he later regretted this because it TORE HIS HANDS UP.
It was overcast and had rained off an on (lightly) all day...but around 8:00 it started pouring. Me and Jimu were caught in it outside (Leah and Rusty were in the tent already). We scrambled inside...forgetting to close Jimu's trunk (it rained on everything...including his laptop which he had in his backpack, but it turned out to be alright). Once inside we started playing cards (Muppets UNO) but that quickly sparked a fight. Basically, me and Jimu haven't been getting along as well as we used to. He's doing some stuff I have trouble with. It's not really any of my business, but it has colored our relationship because I'm not 100% sure I can trust him with Leah. Me and Leah have talked about it, and she has assured me that I have nothing to worry about...but in the back of my mind I wonder about his motives. I didn't care too much about Jimu taking charge of the fire/cooking situation...but it seems like he questions/contradicts a lot of what I say WHEN LEAH IS AROUND. We have no problems when she's around. Anyway, I got pissed about him questioning the rules of the game...and I turned in for the night.
I lay there until about 10:00 or so when a truck pulled up--it was the camp people asking for our money. Leah went out and paid. Then it started lightning...and then the rain came. Around 11:00 me and Leah woke and saw the shadow of two legs on the outside of the tent. It was Jaime, he was outside, messing with the tent. Long story short, it was raining so much that water was collecting on the sides of tent's roof. He was trying to jury-rig it so our rain catcher would...well...work. So I shed my shirt and went out to help him. The rain was hard and cold. It was coming down so hard I couldn't see beyond a few feet from the tent. I used the wind-up flash light I'd brought to light the sopping tent. Jimu ran to the car and got a few extra stakes and used them to stake the rain guard to the ground (tightly so that there wasn't a shallow area where rain could gather). It took us a while, and I thought for sure we'd catch a cold and die out there...half naked in the rain. We got back in and used Leah's pillow cases to dry off (note to self: next time bring towels). We went back to bed, I felt better after helping Jimu in the rain. I wasn't pissed off anymore.
The next day we got up and put on new, dry clothes.
After breakfast, Leah and I decided to go hiking. Jimu didn't want to go with us, so we leashed up Rusty and went off in the wild. It was great. We drove to where this paved Equestrian trail was. We followed it and it eventually went off to where the camp's second camp ground was. It was nice, there was a diner and a general store...all of which were closed until Friday (when the season began). Behind the diner was a trail: Sam A.Baker Shut-Ins Trailhead. I started filming around that time here is about 15-20 minutes of what became a 3 hour hike. We had fun, climbed the nearby mountian (Mudlick Mountain, elevation 1223 feet), got really (really) lost, and was hunted by huge raptors (the birds not the dinosaurs...though that would have been cool). We made it back to camp, tired and dirty.
That night we had a fire (Leah popped popcorn that was really good). The weather was clearer so we were able to sit out on the picnic table and play cards (Phase 10). The whole time Leah drank rum and COKE and I played my favorite game--call drunk Leah a "lush." Fun word. It got too dark, so then we went inside the tent and played more cards. It got colder as the night went on...really cold. Me and Leah snuggled for warmth, but woke up really early. It was too cold to sleep. We woke up and started packing up. Jimu was really sore from sleeping on the ground, so were Leah and I. That hike through the Shut-Ins really made my quads sore. Anyway, me and Leah took the tent down (I killed the wasp that had lived on our roof). Once it was all packed up we started home.
We drove to Elephant State Park, which is a little bit North of Sam A. Baker State Park. I was really looking forward to seeing these "elephant" rocks because I've been hearing about them since I was in Junior High. They were really big, chunks of granite. We saw lizards and cacti, too. Then all four of us got lost. Really, really, fucking lost.
So LOST that we WALKED OUT OF THE PARK. Jimu and I decided to just walk along the highway until we got back to the entrance of the park. Jimu wanted to go downhill, but I wanted to go uphill...so we did. We found a service road adjacent to a rock quarry...it was roped off. On we went, on this shitty service road, soon we came to a meatal arm/gate thingy. Beyond that it started to get muddy, really muddy. Then it got so bad me and Jimu stopped. Leah and Rusty kept going and once she'd crossed a swamp started inspecting this old brick house she'd discovered. Me and Jimu wanted to go back. Leah was far enough away that we could hear here, but we couldn't see her. I wanted her to come back, she was sure that she was on the right track for getting us out of there. Long story short, I got pissed that she wouldn't come back and talk to us...so me and Jimu turned and headed off back to the road. We nearly got there, but I was like "I can't just leave them lost in the woods..." so we went back. I crossed the mud and, it turned out Leah was right--she'd found the trail leading back. I was so mad at her for not coming back and meeting us halfway. She was frustrated that all the men were ignoring her when it came to "which way should we go." I understand. We were all hot and tired. I really let her have it, because I had been worried about her and she hadn't come back to where I could see her when I shouted for her. I yelled at her a lot, the worst I've ever yelled at her. I was scared. I'm worried that one day our stubborness is going to get one of us (both of us?) hurt or worse. I backed down this time, but I was really close to just leaving her in the woods....what if we bicker so much next time and I don't come back? What if next time Leah's wrong? We talked about it and decided not to let that happen again (communication is the key). We don't really have many fights (and never at that level) but when we do, neither of us want to back down...we're both so stubborn.
Anyway, we found the car (thank you Leah). But our ride home was interrupted...before we even left the parking lot. There was this line of cars. Some were cops, with their lights on. It was a funeral procession. And it kept going and going...and going...finally Jimu decided to pull out and join the line. Leah followed suit later on. It kept going on and on. We chatted on the walkies about what the hell we should do...Jimu put the flashers on (so we could blend in). This was on a two lane, country road...we were trapped. We felt bad--but then we felt even worse when we passed a school: There was an entire schools worth of children standing on the lawn staring at us. A group of fire-fighters stood in a silent salute. Crap, whoever this was--they were loved and respected and we were disrespecting him/her. I told this story to my dad, he thinks it was a soldier from Iraq.
Ouch.
Eventually we got to where we had to turn off and left the procession behind us. The rest of the trip was pretty much a non-event. We found a Wendy's inside a QuickTrip (45 minutes for St. Louis outside of Festus...this was exciting because all the Wendy's in St. Louis closed last September when the franchise owners filed for chapter 11). Despite the rocky parts, I had a good time. Me and Leah are really getting into hiking (she has another hike planned for next month). Me and Jimu are okay, I guess. I wish I could trust him as much as I used to, but frankly I can't. It's a shame too, becuase I think of him as a good friend. It's hard to write about, I don't want to hurt his feelings (or reveal too much about his personal life) but basically he's given me a reason to question what he says and does more than I should have to.
Leah and I are now playing Wii with my family, having a great time. This Spring Break was a good one. Tomorrow we're going to a pancake breafast at Lindsey's school. Leah and Amber are going to try on wedding dresses. Tomorrow we're going out to eat with my Great-Uncle David (my whole family will be there, including Amber's boyfriend Paul). Though there is a lot going on tomorrow, little of it has anything to do with me. I have HOMEWORK that I have to do (I have to read a novella and do my math homework). I had fun, but I'm glad to be back. I'm about to go soak in a bath tub and try to forget the horror of waking up at 6:00 AM freezing...having to pee...in the middle of nowhere....
For more videos (including some with Jimu not wearing a shirt...sexy) click on the link to my YOUTUBE profile. I've posted a couple more videos there.
4 comments:
I know exactly what you mean about what Jimu's doing, and it kinda disturbs me too.
Congrats on not killing each other, and yeah, he is pretty lame for not going hiking with you guys. That waterfall was cool, and by cool I mean totally sweet.
Well like I wrote, I'm not "mad" at your brother...the whole mess has just shocked me. I guess I thought I knew him, and I found out that I didn't.
I'm pleased that we only had two really rough spots (one was no big deal, one was just cos we were tired and hot (AND LOST!)).
Yeah, I really wish he'd come!!! The waterfalls were great. And the exercise was fantastic. Me and Leah are really getting into camping/hiking.
I'm a bit curious to know how much you know... partly so I can gauge how much I can gossip about without breaking confidences.
Clearly you know of the one girl, the two girls, the husband, and the move. Do you know about the games, and their history? (Jeebus, I love being cryptic. It makes me feel like a member of a secret society, or a zen master or some crap.)
As the world's foremost expert in the field of Jimuology, which the Japanese call "Jimu-do" I'm fairly certain this is all going to blow up in his face, he'll have had his fun, and there'll be some crappy poetry written.
And, while I won't laugh, I won't be entirely displeased.
Well I only know what he tells me...
What he does is his own buisness, and in my younger days I made some bad choices to get laid...but there are two types of mistakes you can make: those you can walk away from (in one piece) AND those you can't walk away from (at all).
I hope if he's making a mistake he can walk away unscratched...
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