Jenny Jump

Sean took me 'cabin camping' at Jenny Jump this weekend and it was awesome, I didn't want to leave. Being that we went in December (up North called for a little bit of snow to happen days before), we were the only recreational campers there, all the other cabins were regretfully filled with hunters. Although there is no hunting in Jenny Jump, there are places very nearby that allow hunting so the sound of gunshots didn't miss our ears.
Our cabin was so cute and cozy, it had 2 bunk beds in the back which were divided by a wood wall, but Sean and I just stacked two mattresses in thee front of the cabin so we could sleep by the woodburning stove. I almost felt like the Princess and the Pea, except the mattresses were millions of blankets that were stacked on top of me.

Sean and I shared a meal of pea soup (there's that pea again) out of an aluminum pot with big silver spoons. It took about 3 hours to feel warm enough to take my hoodie off. Sean is the fire master and don't you forget it (thanks to him, I'm pretty sure I can make a mean fire myself).
The next day we went hiking on the Summit Trail which was beautiful.
There weren't many human footprints in the snow, but we saw tons of animal ones, mostly deer. We stopped at some outlooks and saw the Delaware Water Gap. Towards the end of a trail, there was a tree covered in carvings, some dating back to '94 (I know, doesn't sound antiquated but that's 15 years!). We then took the Ghost Lake Trail and although we didn't see the lake (must have been the other way) we took a chance and glided across an icy pond. Lastly, we took the Orchard Trail and gathered some fallen branches for our fire before heading back to base.



We relaxed the rest of the night and I gave Sean a matching Spalted Oak wooden tree branch pendant necklace that I bought from Jay at Wooden Treasures.
Here's a link to his Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodenTreasures

We then made a big pasta dish with veggie meatballs, toast and red wine. We also shared that out of a pot even though we brought bowls, it just felt better that way. Sean also brought his iPod and played some music through his headphones which he duct taped to the wall like mini speakers, which worked perfectly.
I wanted to stay there for a week, but it was time to go by 12 the next day. Good thing we left when we did, we were warned by a hunter staying in the next cabin (who happened to be from Whiting) that the roads were starting to ice up and he wasn't kidding. Taking I-280 and I-80 home, we saw literally (and unlike a lot of commercials and infomercials who do not know the true meaning of literally when they say your money "literally flies out the door") 10-15 car accidents, each involving 2 or 3 cars mainly. The roads were so icy that a lot of people had pulled over or were going 25 mph (and this is a highway), and since we wanted to get home really bad, we did the same. The 2 hour drive to get there took 3 1/2 to get home. It was nice though, Sean and I talked about how we wish he had a bench seat in his car as I cuddled next to him my ribs getting poked by his center console. As we looked around at all the accidents it was very unnerving but Sean promised me he'd get me home safe (I know I know it sounds so mushy, but it really was scary if you could see the amount of accidents adorned with ambulances, cop cars and fire trucks).
Well, next year we're going to go back to Jenny Jump during Summer or Fall, or maybe both, for the photos I see are BEAUTIFUL during these seasons. I can't wait! They have group campsites too, so maybe if enough people are down, we could make that happen. I'll start recruiting soon (Nicky, you're down right?).

The burden of stuff

I think it has finally happened. The breaking point. The final realization that we have been conditioned to consume and retain as many things as possible. The realization that it took five hours of work to purchase that one pair of jeans that you don't even wear anymore. The realization that advertisements slap me in the face every which way I turn. No more for me.
It makes more sense to be happy with what you have and to know that in the end, all the material possessions we own don't really make us happy, but quite sick after adding up the total cost of our gluttony. I think many people agree that a cluttered room goes along with a cluttered mind, and that's how I've been living. I've never wanted to fill up as many trash bags with JUNK in my life. I feel like it will parallel the show Hoarders, except I don't have kitty skeletons or 3-month-old pumpkin guts grafted to my carpet.
Not only is consumerism exhausting, it's ignorant. Do you know where more than half your belongings came from? Whose fingers crafted the item you cherished for about a week? More than likely it was a 12-year-old child who was stuck working in a dust-infused cell where no one was overseeing the working conditions. I don't think the ignorance is the most chilling part of it all, I think that the fact that a lot of people now know this goes on but continue not to care.
Anyway, I'll keep you updated with the status of my room. I'll try and take pictures to document the movement.

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."
-Lao Tzu

Slackin'

It's almost the end of the semester...so close. Next week I'll be on the ball.

Upcoming topics to discuss:

1) my homeless advocacy group
2) possibly going to Albuquerque for free
3) camping

Man, sorry for the lack of posts if anyone was reading this. :(