stared at me.
“Candie didn’t willingly give up her gadget.”
“Let’s not split hairs over this. Willingly or not, she was about to use the phone but actually never did. Besides, I’m not even sure whether there’s reception up here.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “The bet’s still on.”
CHAPTER 5
By mid-afternoon, everyone was pretty much settled and Jacob called us all to gather in front of his tent.
He asked, “Are there any other devices I should know about?”
Hannah said “I brought a camera. Is that allowed?”
“What kind of camera?”
“Just an old-fashioned one, not part of a phone.”
“You may use it. Anyone else?”
Nobody spoke up.
“Good! I’ll walk you briefly through the rules before letting you explore the area on your own. First off, let me remind you that we are a team and share the responsibility of chores. James and I are providing food and drinks, but we all take turns with the cooking and washing of dishes. There is obviously no running water, so we haul it up from the nearby stream for doing the dishes.
“Here is how it’s done: We fill a large can with water and carry it to the campsite. Then we pour it into two plastic wash bins, one for soapy water, the other for rinsing. When finished, the water is dumped into bushes, but far away from the creek in order not to contaminate it. We also brush our teeth up here; you can either use bottled water sparingly or fill a cup with creek water and carry it up.”
He went on, “Our personal bathing may be done in the stream, but without soap, shampoo or the like. In other words, a quick dip or rinse.”
Candie burst out, “You’ve got to be kidding! The water must be freezing.”
Jacob grinned and replied, “Yes it’s cold, but good for the complexion.”
Hannah said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to use paper plates and cups rather than going through the trouble of doing dishes?”
“No, that’s not an option. We need to make as little trash as possible. Everything we brought up will go home with us again, including our trash. We are not leaving a single scrap of paper or other waste behind.”
Pointing to the north end of our campsite, he went on, “Speaking of waste, I placed a port-a-potty behind those bushes over there. You’ll find instructions attached; please read them carefully.”
Curtis said, “And we take turns emptying the toilet too?”
“You got it,” Jacob replied. Then he continued his orientation monologue, “As far as safety goes, don’t go hiking alone; there should always be at least one person along. Wild animals tend not to attack humans in groups. I am going to give you each a US Forest Service safety whistle. Take it along when leaving our camp, even when going down to the stream to bathe. Do not misuse it and only blow into it when you need help, as the whistle is extremely loud. I’ll also give you each a small first aid kit. Always take sun protection and windbreakers along on hikes. There is no prediction of rain in the weather forecast for this week, but temperatures can vary from one hour to the next. I also must stress that it’s important to get back to our camp area before nightfall. It’s too dangerous to trek around in the dark. ”
London asked, “What kind of wild animals?”
“There are coyotes, mountain lions, and even bears in the Angeles National Forest, but they generally only attack humans when they feel threatened. And now is the time that rattlesnakes come out of hibernation. I have a snake-bite kit in my tent.”
He glared at Candie and ordered, “Keep your dog leashed at all times on a hike. We can’t afford him chasing after wildlife.”
“More likely that the wildlife would be chasing Nick,” I remarked, and got a good laugh out of the group, except for Candie, who shot an annoyed glance my way.
Jacob continued, “As far as scavenging bears are concerned, we keep our food stored in the van with the windows up at night. Did any of you bring extra food along?”
Min said, “I brought cookies.”
“Anyone else?”
When no others spoke up, Jacob urged Min to give him the cookies in the evening and he would store them overnight. He gave more instructions, but over eight years later, I cannot recall them all.
As we disbursed, I overheard one of the brothers saying to the other, “He sure takes himself seriously!”
His bro laughed and shot back, “Must be hard for you not to be in command!”
While the rest of our group went to explore the grounds around our campsite, Jacob, Todd, and I built a campfire pit. We chose a location a good distance away from the tents or any trees. Since we only had one shovel, Jacob and Todd took turns digging the pit, and I gathered enough medium-sized rocks to form a circle about three feet in diameter. When they had dug approximately 12 inches deep, we placed the rocks around the perimeter of our fire pit. Then we filled the pit two-thirds full with dry kindling and firewood, which Jacob had brought from home in case dead wood was scarce. We kept the shovel and a bucket I had filled with water from the creek handy so that we could quickly extinguish the fire should it threaten to get out of control.
Now all was ready for the evening’s entertainment.
CHAPTER 6
Thanks to Jock Master Sporting Goods, we had a camp stove and also a camp grill at our disposal. Jacob and Marcelo took up kitchen duty for our first dinner. We watched as Jacob put a prime rib roast on the grill while Marcelo boiled a big pot of water on the burner for corn on the cob and buttered the garlic bread. The mood of the group was upbeat in anticipation of a delicious meal and a fun-filled week of camp life.
Meanwhile, I started the campfire, and when the food was ready, we sat in folding camp chairs in a circle around the fire and savored every bite.
Jacob chuckled and said, “Don’t expect such a feast every night. This is a launch party, but from here on out, we’ll live on pasta, rice, and potatoes. Meat or fish - -if any - - will come in a can.”
He opened a couple of bottles of Merlot, adding, “And the wine is a one-time-only treat too. Starting tomorrow, we’ll drink water.”
Min, Hannah, and of course little Mikey passed on the Merlot, so that there was just enough for one glass each. That we drank out of plastic goblets didn’t spoil taste buds nor ambience. For dessert we roasted marshmallows. The aroma of burning wood and the crackling sound of the fire put us all in a relaxed state.
Jacob said, “Now is the time to get acquainted. Except for my friend James and his wife Tala, I don’t know any of you well and none of you know one another. So let’s do introductions - - first names only - - and tell a little something about ourselves.”
He cleared his throat and said, “I’ll
