Each year a group of high school buddies get together to camp out for the weekend. At this point in our live's we have the means to do a little better than the $15/night campground, but we dig camping. I didn't come up with it, but camping is really the only prerequisite for the annual trip. We all grew up in the country, so there is that element of nostalgia. But, probably more important at this age, is that no one needs to get in a bar fight or get a DUI, so we camp. We typically just play corn hole, Polish horseshoes, listen to Tom Petty and usually partake in one main event to pretend the whole weekend isn't about drinking.
This year was my year to pick location and I took the boys near my old stomping grounds on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, Virginia. The river was super high and murky for this time of year, which made the fishing tough. But we all caught some smallies and the day was absolutely beautiful.
The highlight of the float was a class 2 rapid that had a knack for swallowing canoes. Only one out of three canoes in our our convoy made it through dry and I was glad to be in this good fortune. Similar to allowing your friends to putt first on the green, going last has some of those same advantages. While, watching your friends kamikaze cluelessly down the river wont guarantee your own success, it sure helps to know what line NOT to take. There were a lot of rods and tackle boxes lost that day and we were able to document the floating yard sale once we made it through.
We capped Saturday night with a Penguins playoff game. We may have been camping in the middle of nowhere, but missing the game was not an option. These boys came prepared and with an extension chord, flatscreen, and Apple TV, we were able to catch the game right out of the back of a Jeep Cherokee. We didn't win the game that night, but I'd venture to say we had the best seats on the planet. I'm feeling another Cup run.
