Wisconsin State Park Ranger Smith rolled up on a group of campers standing outside a women’s outhouse. The building trembled despite its sturdy cinderblock construction and steel door. As he stepped out of the truck, a vile combination of rotten… Continue Reading
Bill sat in an old folding chair and stared at the glowing embers of the campfire. His wife, Nancy, had always told him he needed an upgrade, one of those fancy bag chairs with cup holders. But he never gave… Continue Reading
Breath by breath, step by step, he wills his body toward the darkening skyline. Tired legs, weak legs, legs wet from trudging through the snow come to a gradual rest. Pine trees flitter in the wind, a biting wind that… Continue Reading
Tyler turned six shortly before his mother read an article about the benefits of camping. She pressured her husband to borrow $300 from his parents to buy a faded 1968 PleasureMate 12-foot popup camper from a classified ad. The camper’s… Continue Reading
She spoke sometimes like shaving cream. Her lips opened in an “O,” the words landing in a pungent spiral in his cupped hand, ready to be spread onto his face and then rinsed down the drain. “Why are we going?… Continue Reading
Stars emerged beyond darkening skies over the Shenandoah forest. Though we’d just arrived at the campsite, Alex and Kevin insisted we build a fire straightaways. Fire assuaged ancient fears of tooth and claw buried in the lizard-brain and their grandfather’s… Continue Reading
Hiking in the woods I found an abandoned baby animal so young I couldn’t fathom what sort of creature it was. It looked a bit like a miniature cow in that way that a new, gangly pup might, but it… Continue Reading