An odyssey is defined as a long and eventful journey. The experiences encountered on an odyssey should test one’s beliefs about life. An odyssey doesn’t have to be a book-worthy story, but rather teaches a lesson. My odyssey is the story of a camping and canoeing trip my family went on. I learned from my odyssey that through hard work and suffering comes a sense of accomplishment.
Last summer, my mom scheduled a canoeing trip in the Sand Hills down the Middle Loop River. We planned on staying in the Double R Ranch cabins. My mom’s boyfriend, Bill, and his four kids, Billy, Byrnn, Parker, and Brady, accompanied my mom, my brother, Michael, and me on the trip. We packed the car and set off on the five-hour trip. Things seemed promising as we drove through the beautiful hills of sand. But as we neared our destination, we started to get worried. We passed through a tiny town, and it seemed like it was completely empty. On top of that, none of us had cell phone service. We finally reached the little old lady’s house who gave us the keys to our cabin. We got back in the car and started driving down a dirt road, and finally after two miles of sand and desertedness, we reached our cabin.
The cabin was a two-story house built on the bottom of a hill. As we explored, we noticed the sod house built into the hill. We looked around inside, and at this point we were really freaked out. We found old pictures and letters from people of the past. We found old rag dolls that once belonged to a little girl. Scaring us further were the black cats that lived in various places around our cabin. We were all convinced that we were in a scary movie. The elements were perfect: no cell phone service, creepy cats, an old home and toys, a deserted town, and a cabin in the middle of nowhere. We were just waiting for the little old lady to pop out with a machete.
That night, we decided to go for a walk down the dirt road to see where it led. We set out down the road in the pitch black with only the sound of crickets and other bugs. About ten minutes into our walk, we saw a little home with a lighted window. But then a man appeared in the window and watched us as we walked by. Parker, Brynn, and I screamed and ran as fast as he could down the road. Ten more minutes passed and a truck came out of nowhere and sped down the road passed us. We had had enough. We turned around and ran all the way back to our cabin. After our walk, the cabin didn’t seem so scary anymore. But then we remembered that the bathroom was not connected to the cabin. We would have to walk out in the dark to get there. We formed a buddy system and took turns bringing a partner with us to the bathroom. We all slept restlessly that night, still creeped out by the day’s events.
We got up early the next morning, all alive, and got ready to go canoeing. We drove back into town. From there a bus drove us to the point where the canoe trip would begin. Clouds promising rain covered the sky; it was cold and windy, not weather for canoeing. On top of that, the water was icy cold. Billy and Michael had a canoe, Parker and Brady had a canoe, Brynn and I had a canoe, and Bill and my mom had a canoe. Within the first bend of the river, Billy, Michael, Parker, and Brady had flipped into the freezing water, along with the coolers holding our lunch. Brynn and I seemed to be magnets to every tree that had fallen into the river. We would be on the complete opposite side of the river, but somehow we would end up running right into the tree. By the time we stopped for lunch, everyone was cold, and Brynn and I were bruised and scratched. We sat and ate our soggy sandwiches and prayed the trip was almost over. It wasn’t. We continued down the river for hours, upon hours, tipping our canoes and hitting more trees. What seemed like days later, we reached the end of the river with the bus there to pick us up. We had never been more excited! And as soon as we stepped out of our canoes, the sun decided to peak out of the clouds. When we got back to the cabin, we packed our bags and drove home. Everyone was tired and crabby the entire drive home, but we all made it.
My camping and canoeing odyssey lasted only two days, but my experience taught me that with hard work comes achievement. At the time, my experience was anything but funny, but now that I look back on it, I can laugh about it. My patience was tested throughout the experience, and I learned that patience needs to be persistent. I can now look at this as a positive learning experience. With mine, as well as any other odyssey, a valuable lesson is learned.
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