ends with a bust, lost walking stick, lost flashlight, and lost voice

the hybrid wasn’t feeling well by the end of the night. he was curled up in a ball next to the camp fire tighter than the knots in his showlaces. couldn’t blame him after the day we’d had, though.

on the hike it got cold. and it didn’t seem to end. the hike that is. the cold is still cold. on the way back from the historic tour of the abandoned village of the reserve, the troop went back to the general store with the wooden coins they were given from one of the costumed actor. at the store they were able to trade the coins in the candy. captialism at its finest.

as the troop started back to the trail, i noticed that the hybrid didn’t have his walking stick. the one we found a couple of camping trips ago and i drilled a hole through to tie a piece of rope through it so he could keep it on his writst so as not to lose it.

he lost it.

it wasn’t in the store or around the apple press that a boy scout troop was manning to press apples for juice.

the walking stick was nowhere to be found so we ran to catch up to the troop.

later, after darknes fell and everyone had eaten he asked me where his flashlight was. i asked him where in his bag he put it. he told me it was in the water bottle pocket.

which it wasn’t.

so i checked the car after he said that it fell in the car.

which it hadn’t.

two things lost in the span of seven hours. then he started losing his voice as we were just siting around the camp fire. he thought that he was going through puberty. i told him i hope not. he asked why. i told him about the pimples and hair that grows everywhere. that pretty much ended that discussion.

at about nine-thirty, he didn’t look too hot. granted it was cold like i said, but he was zoning out. i asked if he wanted to go home. he said yes. and no. but mostly yes.

so i had to take down the tent and pack the car by flashlight. luckily, i had the assistance of a few other parents to break the tent down. unfortunately, the tent, rain cover, sleeping bags, and pillows were wet from condensation due to the high humidity and low temperature. it’s a math thing i don’t understand.

it all went into the suv. wet. the hybrid fell asleep on the twenty minute ride home and went straight to bed when we got here.

he hasn’t gotten off the couch all day.

can’t say i blame him. i’d stay on the couch watching cartoons all day too.

and sometimes do.