Typical Day
At 5:20AM, Robert Louis Stevensburg opens his eyes and breathes in the fresh, crisp air. He switches off the alarm on his watch. Even though he really doesn't need it anymore, he sets it anyway. Much like adventurers, old habits die hard. Sliding out of his sleeping bag and rolling off the mat, Bobby (as he tells his adventurers to call him) unzips the flap and crawls out the front.
Finally able to stand, he takes an even deeper breath as he stretches and shakes off the sleep. He looks around the campsite, where there's no sign of movement from any of the other tents. Bobby's okay with that; he doesn't get a whole lot of "me time" on these outings, and sometimes it's nice to take in the sunrise alone.
Having found his perch on a rocky outcropping, Bobby observes as the sun rises right on time at 5:25AM. After taking a moment or two, he heads back to camp to start the next day's travels. That means four things: coffee, breakfast, coffee, and breaking camp.
By 6:45AM, all eight of Bobby's group are awake, eating, and chatting about the night before/day ahead. As they wake themselves up with a hearty meal of bacon and oats, Bobby cooks, serves, and keeps an eye on everyone. While he's definitely part of the group, he's also the leader. Bobby's got bigger responsibilities than hanging out and shooting the breeze.
He spends most of the time making sure everyone is fed and getting ready to depart. They've got many miles ahead, a lot of which will be uphill, and the group has to be focused and energized for today to be a success.
Finally, with tents rolled and bellies digesting, the group breaks camp around 7:30AM. For the next few hours they walk in mostly silence, taking in the beautiful surroundings. For most of the crew, it's a peaceful scene. For Bobby, it's a menagerie of possible dangers.
He's not a paranoid person, but he's definitely cautious; most trips are easy sailing, but every once in a while a strong gust comes in and capsizes the whole boat. Well, at least this adventure is all on land. Bobby's sea legs got left back in Australia. Now, there's a story...
...that totally gets interrupted by a sudden break in the trees around 10:35AM. As Bobby stops midsentence, he transitions seamlessly to explaining the vista that lies before them. He points out features like the small hills in the distance, and notes exactly how high they've climbed since they started a few days ago. He steps back and observes while the group takes pictures―most of them have digital cameras, but one bearded guy's rocking a disposable.
At 12:30PM, the first "When's lunch?" question of the day is asked, and as if on command, a gorgeous waterfall appears around the bend. It's such a perfect site for lunch, it's almost like Bobby planned it. Which he totally did (he's done this adventure once or twice).
As today's designated lunch assistant helps Bobby set up, he gives himself a silent pat on the back (in his head) for getting the timing so good. After lunch, the group takes a much needed dip in the natural waters of the gorge. Everyone except our brave leader, of course; he's reviewing the afternoon's planning, and keeping an eye on the darkening sky to the east.
Around 1:30PM, Bobby makes the call to pack up and move out, but the group takes their sweet time getting ready. This usually happens mid-journey. It's hard to sustain energy for a whole week or two on the trail, which is why he uses jokes and positivity to get people motivated. This crowd is easy: he's only using his B jokes. He'll save the A-game for later in the week. Around 1:50PM, the group says their final goodbyes to the waterfall and heads on down (up) the trail.
Reflecting upon how injury-free this trip has been so far at 3:45PM, Bobby mentally kicks himself as he watches a taller young woman lose her balance and trip over a root. Kneeling down, he looks over her leg and sees the trickle of blood running down from her knee. It's not horrible, but she's still got a decent sized gash. Bobby sends a young man to grab his First Aid kit while he tells her one of his A-level jokes.
With storm clouds gathering, Bobby calls for a halt at 5:15PM. There's good reason, too; rainstorms are no laughing matter out in the woods, and the most important thing to do is to find shelter. Having planned for just this sort of thing (thanks for the five-day forecast, Weather Channel), he points slightly downhill to an area of low brushes and shallow ditches. One woman asks why they don't look for a cave.
Bobby says that's a great question, but since so many of the caves in the area are actually metal mines, he explains how if there's lightning that might actually be the worst place to camp. Assembling a makeshift hollow underneath a massive tarpulin, the group gets ready to wait it out. Sometimes, Bobby wonders if he still has what it takes to lead people into the wild, but on days like today the answer is pretty clear.
After an hour of huddling and hoping, the storm passes and the adventurers carefully make their way out of hiding. As the sky clears around 7:00PM, the group is treated to a beautiful array of colors before the starry sky makes its regular nighttime debut. Bobby tells the crew to get ready for dinner, because they've gone as far as they'll go today. As usual, everyone is more than happy to stop walking. They throw down their packs and start setting up.
With the sounds of a camp being set up behind him, Bobby heads off to take another few minutes alone. Making sure no one is looking, he pulls a small book out of the side of his backpack. Taking out a pen, he sits cross-legged and begins to write: Day four: fifteen miles. Small shower. Woman got a cut on her knee, still going. No major problems. He pauses a moment, smiles, and finishes: Still awesome.