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The beauty of rain
In the summer of 2003, my son, two friends and I went backpacking for five days along the Appalachian Trail. Our 50-pound packs contained all of our supplies for the week. We slept under a tarp, cooked on a small gas stove, ate freeze-dried and instant food, and drank water that we collected from the creeks. On the second day we were trying to cook in a rainstorm and I thought to myself, I would hate to be camping in this weather. Late in the evening on the third day another thunderstorm arose. The lightning was intense and the thunder shook the mountain beneath us. On the fourth day, at noon, it rained like I had never seen before. The trail quickly became ankle deep in water. At this time, we were in the middle of the most beautiful forest you can imagine. Tall trees, mountains, valleys and creeks were made more beautiful by the green vegetation, as if in a rainforest. The air felt so clean, like I was breathing pure oxygen for the first time. The smell was fresh and alive, and I knew I would never forget this camping trip. Samuel Brewer |
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