Thursday May 22: Morning at Forney Creek

The camp site is situated at the edge of a sloping face of granite. The hikers look forward to a beautiful day of relaxation. A plan is hammered out for the course of the remaining days’ journey, but this day is for washing up, lounging on the sun heated rocks, and exploration both outward and inward.

From the journal of Ben Lebofsky,

“This is why I am here. I can’t think of a better way to spend the hours. No worries. No cares. No responsibilities. Just the sun on my skin, the splashing of water in my ears, and the soothing caress of the gentlest breeze on my brow. A perfect day…”

“The Day passes like a dream. My mind is empty, experiencing the simplest sensations as a child might. There is a peacefulness here that one cannot find anywhere else. Surely not in the steal and glass caverns of the city, nor in the laziness of life in the suburbs. The peace here is one of being an integral part of something that is at once much larger than yourself, and yet so intricate and delicate. Being and belonging. Belonging and being…”

Thursday May 22: Afternoon at Forney Creek

Greg, Jason, and Ben mount a small expedition down the cascade. Beginning at the camp site they hop from rock to rock, climbing over deadfalls, and around swirling pools. They pass the hours quietly and later head back to camp for a late lunch.

From Ben’s journal,

“We follow the water. It leads us over time worn boulders slick with moss and algids. It rushes and rages and challenges us to follow it meandering course. Around each bend, over each tumble are a myriad of sights to please the eye. Geometries of circumstance that have simple stories to tell. A tree fell here and waited how many years to provide us the means to scramble further downward. At any moment a misplaced step can send you waist deep into cool, dark waters, or even cause you to smack your head against a waiting rock. On this day the waters seduced us, and the sights we were allowed to see are a reward to be cherished for a lifetime.”