Under cover of darkness
Much darker out than I realized. We’ve been around a campfire for hours and hours. In front of us, the hypnotic flames. Behind us; well, I wasn’t looking in that direction.
Eventually, if you sit around long enough, in a campfire situation, the call comes to find “the little corner”. Or, in civilized terms, the communal washrooms. And they’re over there, with their lights barely visible through the trees. I had a flashlight, but while the beam shows what lies ahead at ankle level, the face remains in a zone of risk. Branches don’t let you know before you try to force past.
This time around, no injury, but I realize that the “see in the dark” skills of my youth have evaporated.
An easy solution, take the dog along. Try two. The dog didn’t really care about what was up at my level, so the same risk. Again, no injury, but I’m going shopping for a light that attaches to my forehead. Along with a crash helmet and visor, perhaps.
The darkness has another unexpected downside. We came with two chairs, in red and green fluo, respectively. Before sunset, highly visible. When it came time to go home, my green chair had changed colour. To grey. I took the time to verify, with the flashlight, but my green was gone. For the others in our group, my green was still with me. Was this some sort of campground sorcery?
And now, I am home, and ready to chalk this up to experience. The lesson learned: darkness is deceptive, and trees are not forgiving.
