The Forest - Part One

The Forest Part 1

The Forest

Part 1 - Highest Highs and Lowest Lows

A few years back, me and a few buddies went on a camping trip. Being avid survivalists, we loved to test our abilities and see how we would do if society went to shit. We would practice making structures, building fires, and hunting small game. Typically, we would go out, scout a location a mile or two off a trail and start with a fire. After building a substantial heat source, the next step is clean water, and then shelter. But anyway, enough of that, my name is Jordan, but most people just call me Jay. My buddies are Ray, Mike, and Devontae. I met Mike almost a year ago at a bar, we ended up playing darts together. It became a weekly tradition to play against each other and have a few drinks. Currently, I'm at 23 wins and 22 losses, and if you didn't notice, that's one more win than Mike has. Devontae, who we usually call Dev, and I have been friends since we were kids. On the weekends we would travel for miles in the Virginian heat with our shirts off and talking about which superheroes would win in a fight. Last but certainly not least was Ray. Ray became friends with Dev and I senior year of high school after we fought over the same girl. He ended up winning that fight, but she cheated on him, so I consider myself the real victor. We made amends and found out he was a cool guy to our surprise. From then on, the four of us were inseparable. My girlfriend affectionately called us the Drab Four.

It was a typical Friday morning. We said goodbye to our girlfriends and wives, met up at the parking garage and took off in my SUV with all our camping gear to go camping. It was about a 2-hour drive and it was usually spent shit talking, and still arguing which superhero would win in a fight. This time it was Spider-Man versus Batman. Dev had claimed that Batman would win due to his vast knowledge and wealth. However, I disagreed.

"Dude, Spider-Man would kick Batman's ass. Batman has no super powers and Spider-Man is super agile and has webs!" I argued, gesturing the famous "Go Web" hand signal.

"But Batman could easily find a way to beat him... he beat Superman," Dev responded, looking to the others for backup.

"What if there is no prep time? I bet Batman would lose easily,"

"No, because I don't see Spider-Man having his own car, weapons, and suits with nipples on them!" Dev joked, but then added, "Plus, Batman is ruthless, he would win in an instant."

I rolled my eyes and sat for a while, looking out at the long road that was flanked by trees. We rode in silence for about 30 minutes before Ray muttered, "Jesus..."

"What?" I asked him.

"Apparently a pretty bad storm is coming up and should be here around next week. We may have to reschedule next weekend." He said, clearly disappointed as he put his phone away.

"We'll see, the news is always lying. One minute they say it will rain, the next it will be sunny and warm," Mike said bitterly. Mike has always been a conspiracy theorist. He believed the government was out to get us and to get rich. He claims the news is fake and thinks 9/11 was an inside job. Although he is a whacky guy, it still is fun to discuss his new theory over a game of darts. Last time his theory was that the moon landing was fake. The week before that, Tupac was still alive. I tend to just nod and agree with what he says, because most of the time I have no clue what he is talking about.

Slowly the road grew steeper, going up and then flat again, repeating the process in a long and winding fashion. The sun was high, and we were ready. We all had our own packs, each equipped with the tools necessary to survive and live for a little while in the wild. I also keep a few survival things such as a large first aid kit, a knife, and other tools to keep me alive. We have only been doing this for a few months now, so we are still shaky, but it is a fun challenge that keeps up on our toes. I remember one time we were staying the night and a skunk found its way into our food. Let's just say the ride home was not nice on the nose. Regardless, we do know our way around the campsite and can usually navigate the forest well.