Lake George

I really miss it. Every time I smell that shampoo, I remember everything.

It’s the Suave Vibe, peach scented. That’s the shampoo that I emptied half the bottle into a travel squirt container, and brought with me to Lake George. We don’t have any more now… I used the rest (from the little squirt container) a few weeks ago. But the squirt container is still there in the shower, with a little shampoo residue left on the bottom. And every time I take a whiff of it, it brings me back to the good ol’ days of Lake George.

It reminds me first of the showers. And how you’d have to press that damn button every five minutes, because the shower would shut off. And that one shower on the end, that shut off literally every ten seconds. And the showers would find the most convenient times to shut off, like when you had shampoo in your hair, or soap in your eyes. And the big effin’ spider that hung out high above the four shower stalls with it’s babies, terrorizing us all. And Eliza’s bottle of bug spray that I emptied on a single spider. In the shower. And the fact that none of the girls went a day without makeup, even though we were at a campground in upstate New York.

I smell the shampoo and I’m reminded of the cool mornings with the dew on the ground, when we’d all run to go take our showers, before breakfast. And I remember how the bathrooms overlooked the lake. And how I sat outside, waiting for Eliza, and how funny Justin looked with his wet mop of hair. And how funny I looked when I didn’t blow dry my hair.

And I remember how good nature air smelled, even when infused with the intoxicating fruit scents of our shampoos, conditioners, and bodywashes.

The food I remember fondly. The food that was so ruggedly good, it cleaned out your system. Made you healthier. The wonderful shish-kabobs that my cooking group made. With steak, chicken, pineapple, mushrooms, onions, and red, yellow, and orange peppers all diced up and soaked in teriaki sauce. And Joshie’s reaction when he almost ate a piece of undercooked chicken.

“I almost said ‘We have scallops?’… wait, that’s not a scallop….”

And our day activities. I remember Fort Ticonderoga, and how Erin said that our tour guide seemed a bit… well, not straight. He was cute though. And how Erin and I had Eliza take our picture with him. And I remember how Justin wore that ridiculous Seuss hat. Not to say that my fuschia knit hat wasn’t ridiculous… And ah, the Native “naked” man. The one I interviewed for my “Adirondacks Interview”. He was a registered indian, and his name, when translated, meant “Red Hawk”. And I remember how all my friends were mad because they wanted to interview him (no two people could interview the same person).

Black Mountain… I remember having to use my inhaler about 3/4 the way up, and Joshie jokingly asking me to pass it around. I remember the weather being less than pleasurable, and the ground was soggy. The air was soggy too. Then we passed the hunting club, and Joshie made jokes about being minority.

My Spanish ass wasn’t the “butt” of jokes… yet.

When we got to the top, it was chilly, but I remember feeling so accomplished. I ate a pita sandwich and peanut butter and chocolate chip apple for lunch. I remember having my dried mango strips, too. And I remember how Eric made me share, on the bus on the way back. And I remember (as I think everyone does) how on the way down, Joe began telling a joke, got as far as “Yeah, so I went down on my girlfriend…” then slipped on wet leaves, fell on his ass, and wiped a boulder clean. And I remember how Justin had to carry Evan Rogers down, because he had a “hurt ankle.”

Ah yes, I remember Stone Bridge & Caves, and how the lady who worked there identified with my One Ring on a piece of hemp around my neck. And the geodes. And how when we went to that one part where the big rock slab had fallen, Joshie told me NOT to scream.

And last but not least, I remember the last night at Lake George. And how we had that wonderful dinner, everyone sitting together. And how Yanni said he was happy he met Erin, and how badly we all teased her afterwards. And that spot on the rocks by the edge of the lake, where you could sit and look across the lake at night, looking up at the stars, and listening to the calming lapping of water upon the shore below you. And how we all sat there, in silence, but so much was said. We knew that that was the first and last time we would ever experience that. We wanted to stay there forever. But alas, we couldn’t.

Every now and then I try to revisit that feeling in my heart… the feeling of accomplishment, being close to my friends, and total wholeness that I felt only there. It’s a hard feeling to revisit… and I only seem to feel it on certain Team occasions… such as times spent at Pinkham (during the Whites trip), especially when we sat by the fire, and just talked. It always seems to be the last night of a trip that this feeling comes back to me. Maybe it’s because I realize that this can’t last forever, and it’ll all be gone the next morning, when we’re shipped back to Northport.

I know I’ve overlooked so many aspects of the Lake George trip, moreso than I can even fathom, but I wouldn’t have enough time in a day to talk about everything. So I’m going to end it here, as I intake the scent from the travel sized shampoo squirt bottle, and get a little teary eyed.

Teamies, I love you all. Even those of you who get on my nerves and make me want to not go on another trip with you, because we’re all like a family, and you’re all the ones who make everything worthwhile.

© Arwen M. Guerra