Birthday Lessons in Rothrock State Forest
This year marks my 31st year of life. Im really in it now…No more making excuses for myself – “Ah, Im barely out of my 20’s, I just turned 30…”.
Each year, I wonder where all the time has gone. I can’t say that I enjoy aging, per say, but I am truly grateful for the life experiences I have. I have been reflecting on the amount of change that has occurred in my life in the last 5 plus years. I absolutely did not know myself in the way that I do now when I was in my twenties. In retrospect, I was the cliche young women over the age of 21 – lost, obsessed with what others thought and way too busy socializing. I didn’t pursue hobbies or interests that really made me feel whole until around the age of 24 (coincidentally, the same year I started dating my husband – proof that when you are on the right path, good things will come to you organically). Now, 7 years later I am still stumbling along. But, more frequently I feel moments of absolute clarity. It is becoming more common that I am at peace with myself and I feel true happiness. I owe that to following my gut and my intuition. And I am loving the adventures that come my way, even when life throws me a curve ball. My birthday this year was no different.
To celebrate, I didn’t want to do anything crazy. I wanted to go camping. April in Pennsylvania can be unpredictable at best and this final week of the month was no exception. Tom and I scheduled a Friday off of work and made a simple plan to head back to Penn Roosevelt State Park in Rothrock State Forest for some car camping. We had our hearts set on a different campsite this time so we left early in the morning. The weather was colder than usual for this time of year but we weren’t going to let that stop us. Being a celebratory trip, we decided to forgo our usual pre-cooked burritos (“Dins”) and brought fresh steaks and potatoes for dinner. We hauled a cooler and our cast iron skillet to our site anticipating a filling, warm meal later on.
The day was down right cold (the high was in the 40’s) and we bundled in multiple layers including hats and gloves as we went about setting up camp. One benefit of the unspring-like weather was that we had the entire campground to ourselves. We wandered from site to site, exploring each one for as long as we liked. We liked the site we chose best as it was nestled along the bend of creek, surrounded by mature pine trees that provided a lot of shade.
As the afternoon was winding down, Tom gathered plenty of wood. We knew that we needed to get the fire started soon and our stomachs grumbled in excitement for the hearty meal that was to come. Everything seemed to be going to plan.
Notice the intense direction of the smoke here? Windy!
Fast forward two hours, and we still did not have a steady fire despite Tom’s best attempts. The wind picked up with a vengeance and most of the wood that we had gathered proved to be too wet from the previous weeks rain to stay lit. We were no longer comfortably enjoying our time. I was down right miserable from huddling in the cold, damp air and starting to become unsatisfied with the cold snacks we had brought along.
We ultimately made the decision to pack up and head home. We did not set out to go camping to prove we were extremist or to show that we wouldn’t give up despite the unseasonal climate. We simply wanted to detach and relax, enjoying quality time together. I was sad to leave and not enjoy the serenity of the site we had from dusk until dawn but I don’t regret the decision to do what felt best. We ended the night with tacos, margaritas and a visit with two of our best friends. I learned a valuable lesson about letting go of the things that I can not change. I am coming to terms with the fact that I can not control the outcome of all of my plans, and I am certainly learning to roll with the punches.
