Hiking By Tanja Milojevic Narrative

Well I’ve never been much of a hiker, and haven’t hiked much, but I’m very open to trying new things. Maybe that’s how I ended up going up the mountain with my fellow hikers on that sunny summers day, or maybe I ended up going because all of my friends were going. I don’t know. But first lets back up, and go to the beginning before we plunge into the meat of this story of mine.

It was June when my Braille teacher suggested for me to go to Interactions, a camp in New Hampshire. Her name was Miss. Sacca, and she was pretty, tall, and blond. She also was a technology genius. I had always wanted to have a summer job so that I can buy my own DVD’s. But that’s another story. Anyways, she had suggested that I become a C I T, counselor in training which meant that when I was sixteen, I could become a junior counselor, which meant that I could get paid. I jumped at the suggestion. After all, it was preparing me for work that I could get paid for. We called Debby Gross, the Director, and organizer of Dear Hill camp, or Interactions. It’s the same thing. I gave her my phone number, and address. She signed me up. I was to go on the twenty-fourth of July. I couldn’t wait until the twenty-fourth. Finally it came, and my sister and aunt drove me up to New Hampshire. It was a long, and boring ride, but we finally got there.

The camp counselors led me to my cabin, and I soon discovered that most of my visually impaired friends were there, but some of them weren’t in my cabin. I was a little disappointed at this, but I had to live with it. After all I couldn’t change cabins. It was too late. When we finally got my sleeping bag, and pillow on my rock hard bed, a senior counselor told us that I could stay for two weeks if I wanted.

“Some campers will be staying, so if you want to stay you’re welcome to.

”Mostly boys out of the campers will be staying, but don’t worry,” She said in a friendly voice as she saw my look of great disappointment.

“There will be some girls there too. And, the junior and senior counselors will

Be staying.” she said with a smile.

“I’ll think about it,” I said unsure

My sister took me aside and said that I could call her if I wanted to leave in a week, and if I wanted to stay, that I had to call her on Thursday anyway.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure that I’ll call,” I promised.

The days seemed to go by really fast. On Thursday, they announced that we were to go hiking up a mountain on a nature walk. We were to go only half way. They told us to bring lots of water, and some bug spray, and sun tan lotion. They also told us to bring our canes much to the disappointment of the campers who could see a little. We set out, and got half way pretty quickly. Along the way, we were shown different types of trees, and leaves. We stopped frequently to examine different types of plants too. There was lots of vegetation on the mountain. The terrain was rocky, and it was very easy to slip on the loose rocks strewn all over the path. They told us to stay mostly in the center of the trail. But this was a little difficult because there were so many of us. We hiked slowly, and often you would feel a poke on your leg or someone would bump into you because everyone had a cane, and it was very hard to not poke anyone with it.

My very talkative friend Daniela and I hung out with our somewhat violent friend Amanda while walking up the mountain. Amanda liked to pretend that she was hitting you in a friendly way, but it really hurt sometimes. Daniela and I would often tell her that she needed anger management classes, but she just laughed, and said that she was just joking around.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” we would often say at these times. That would often strike her funny, and she would insist that we were just chickens who were weak. We liked to joke around about these things while hiking, but Debby interfered and we couldn’t. Debby Gross was following us at a short distance away because we were a sort of rabble-rouser. In other words we liked to make jokes, and that drove her crazy. But she was panting to keep up with us since we were purposely walking fast to keep her at a distance.

“Don’t walk so fast.” She said for the hundredth time.

“O.K. Sorry,” I said in an annoyed voice, and we slowed our pace for about ten seconds, and then resumed our former pace. That got her even madder. We finally got to our stopping point on the mountain, and we had a snack to refresh ourselves. I wasn’t tired at all, and gained confidence in hiking. After a half an hour of sitting on the rocks which were very uneven, we started going back down the mountain. It was easy for me, and after about forty-five minutes, we reached the bottom. The counselors announced that for those who were staying for the following week, there was going to be another hiking trip, that would end at the top of the mountain. The campers who were leaving on Friday were envious.

“Oh, come on, we want to go, too,” they complained to no avail. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go yet, but some how, I thought that it wouldn’t take lots of effort to persuade me to go.

Friday came, and most of the campers were gone home. The cabins were much emptier now. I moved my things to another bunk bed that was closer to my friend Daniela’s bunk bed. They announced that on the next Thursday we would be hiking up the mountain, and this time we would go to the top. The week went by as fast as a train, and it was already Thursday. Everyone was getting ready to go hiking.

“Come on Tanja. It’ll be fun. I went my first year, and yeah, it was a hard climb, but when I got to the top, I signed my name in the fire tower. And besides, I had fun.”

Daniela explained as she got her things together for the climb.

“What’s the Fire tower?” I asked looking curiously up from my bead project that I was finishing in my cabin.

“Oh, it’s the big tower on the top of the mountain where people watch for fires on the mountain or in the forest surrounding it. See? You get to the top of the mountain, and climb to the top of the tower. There’s a book there, and you sign your name and the date in it. You can also put some comments in it. Trust me it’s worth climbing the mountain just to sign your name in that book, and become famous for that. So come on. There’s a grate view from the top anyways.” Daniela replied excitedly.

“O.K. I’ll go.” I said in defeat, and got all of my things together, and put them in my pack. I was getting excited about the climb, and couldn’t wait to start. We left, and got to the base of the mountain. It was as hot as an oven, and it felt like the sun was going to roast us like a couple of turkeys.

We finally started climbing slowly, after picking our partners. I off course picked Daniela. We lost each other because there were so many people climbing, but Debby Gross was following me again. She didn’t seem to realize that I didn’t have my partner anymore witch suited me just fine. With out a partner, I could loose her much easier. I started walking fast while dodging small rocks, and climbing steep areas with careful care. I was gaining confidence as I climbed. I was sure that I could do this whole mountain in a flash.

“Tanja slow down. Your going to fall if you go that fast.” It was Debby. My heart sank as I slowed down reluctantly.

After about fifteen minutes I was starting to get tired. I was breathing hard. We were stopping less and less frequently now, and the terrain was getting more dangerous, and steep by the minute. To add on to the load, Debby had realized that my partner wasn’t with me, and I was back with Daniela in a flash under her over large nose. Daniela and I climbed over, and on the boulders at a fast pace until we finally managed to get rid of Debby Gross. Then we slowed down. This climbing went on for another hour the same way. For a little while, the terrain would be a little easier to climb, and then it would roughen out, and become very hard to mount. My water was rapidly disappearing now, and I was getting nervous about how much would be there or if it would even last until we reached the summit. The vegetation was thinning out too, and the heat was persistent. It felt as if someone had put a burning hot pan on my head, and I felt as if I were melting in the heat. Occasionally we passed climbers with dogs, or just couples hiking for the day. They all looked at us strangely, and went on. I suppose they were all thinking:

“What are a bunch of blind folks doing in a group on this mountain”?

I was asking more and more frequently,

“When will we get there? How much more do we have to walk?” I always got the same answer:

“We’ll be there soon.” Daniela empathized, and said that for her first year, it was a torture.

“Well then why did you say that it was fun climbing?” I asked in exasperation.

“Because if you do it a couple of times, it’ll be fun. Oh, and I also wanted you to come because I didn’t want to go alone. It would have been very boring.” She said amusedly. I threw an exhausted half punch at her and faked collapsing heavily on the side of the mountain. She just laughed, and poked me with her hiking pole.

“Lets go,” she said amusedly.

After about fifteen minutes, I was really about to collapse. My legs were led, and were threatening to buckle at any moment. I had snuck a couple of Reece’s Pieces into my pack, and gave half to Daniela.

“We need our energy to reach that stupid summit.” I panted. She nodded and we collapsed on the side of the trail, eating our Reece’s Pieces. We each ate one before the counselors could catch us. Most of the hikers had already passed, and we got up wearily, and continued trudging up the mountain. I was now starving, thirsty, and exhausted, and I was close to crying with exasperation that we hadn’t gotten to the top yet.

The terrain was roughening out again, and it was getting harder to climb over the boulders that were the size of a small chair. We had no choice than to climb over them. It felt as though there were no end to this torcher. I regretted even going on this trip. I wished that I had just taken my own advice, and stayed in my cabin. Why was I even excited about this stupid trip in the first place?

The counselors were passing out water to campers who were too exhausted to go on with out water. Daniela got some water, and I asked for some too. They gave us some, and we gulped it down gratefully. It was blissfully cool, and refreshing. They said that in a couple of minutes, we would come to the top.

“We better, or someone will have to carry me the rest of the way up the mountain.” I thought in desperation. I really couldn’t go on.

“How are you doing?” I asked Daniela who was ten feet behind me. She had been lagging behind often, so I was forced to wait for her. I didn’t mind though. I didn’t mind at all.

“Not good. When will we get there? I can’t do this anymore.” She panted heavily.

Her words were broken up because she was breathing so hard. I felt bad for her.

“I know but we’ll get there soon. Don’t worry. Want me to poke you with my hiking pole?” I asked jokingly. After all she was the one who had said that this trip would get easier after a fiew times, but who was the one lagging behind?

“Oh shut up.” She panted in a defeated voice.

My legs were now really shaking, and my stomach was growling as we finally reached the top of the mountain. Daniela and I lurched over to a rock near the picnic tables, and collapsed on to it. After about five minutes of recovering, we shared the last Reece’s Pieces, and waited for them to give us our lunch.

We were first in line for the tuna, and peanut butter and fluff sandwiches. They told us that we could have only one each because there weren’t enough to go around twice. I stared at my small, no tiny!!! sandwich in disbelief. Was this puny snack all they were going to give us for lunch after we climbed that enormous mountain that never ended? Could it be possible? They gave us flavored water FLAVERED WATTER! To go along with our tiny sandwiches.

“You’ve got to have this kind of drink because we don’t want you getting sick from all that sugar.” A senior counselor informed us. We went back to the rock, and ate our sandwiches, and drank our water. All the time talking about how it wasn’t fair that we couldn’t get seconds.

“Hey that’s not fair. I’m still hungry.” Daniela complained.

“I know.” I replied angrily.

“After we climbed that gigantic mountain that feels like Mount Everest, they give us two peaces of bread with meat in between, and a drop of water that tastes like pee. How can they do that? Someone should make them climb the hardest mountain in the world, and along the way they should be starved. That would start their punishment at least.” I complained, and we kept on thinking about what horrible punishments we could inflict on them as we threw away our trash.

“Hey Tanja. You want to go up to the tower to sign your name?” Daniela asked.

“Oh yeah sure. I forgot all about that.” I replied.

How could I forget about that whole thing when the reason I had come was to write my name in that black book? I wondered, we came to the tower, and climbed it to the top. It was sort of scary climbing that thing because it swayed in the wind, and you could fall very easily from it. The stairs were very narrow, and there were spaces in between them. That meant that you could fall threw. There was a small room on the top with windows that you could open only a little. It was sweltering hot in the room. There was a man inside. He said that his job was to watch for forest fires, or any types of fires that could occur on or around the mountain.

“What do you do if you see a fire?” I asked curiously.

“Well, I call up my boss, and let him know.” He explained patiently. He looked like the kind of guy who had to say this about twenty times a day.

“How often do you come up here?” I asked.

“Every day.” He said casually.

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“Well you need someone to watch for fires every day.” He replied as though this was obvious. That was incredible because I don’t think that I could climb that mountain every day.

I walked over to the leather book; which was lying on a small table, and signed my name in it. Then I wrote down the date. I put down a comment saying that this mountain was really hard to climb, and that mountains don’t forgive many mistakes. Daniela signed her name also, and then we went to one of the windows to admire the view. It was spectacular. You could see everything from the tower. It was grate. There was plenty of vegetation, and sky.

I think that experience stands out in my memory because it was a big deal then, but it isn’t a big deal now. When I look back on that event now, it seems all far away and somehow humorous. I find it funny because after all that climbing, I got a small sandwich, and flavored water. I mean what did I expect? I guess that I was hungry enough to eat a whole bucket of sandwiches, but one was enough. I didn’t die after all.

I think that I’ll go again next year, because I’d like to improve on my hiking skills, and maybe some day, I’ll be able to climb a mountain every day like that man in the tower. And besides curiosity killed the cat, and flavored water along with a single tuna sandwich brought him back. As I said, I like to try new things, and that experience was certainly new. It was actually fun when I think about it, and I’ll always have it in my memory to look back on.