This entry has an alternate title. That title is: "Why Christine is Amazing".
See, I spent the last week wracking my brain to come up with a way to do justice to the camping trip with my entries. I wanted to do anything and everything I could to convey the level of life-changing that was the UP camping tip of aught-10. See, here's the thing, though. This whole adventure started on Day 142. That means that there were 141 slightly or significantly life-changing days before the trip even started. Simply describing the trip in the same terms, well, it just didn't seem right. So I thought for a while about what made the trip so incredible. I'll give you a hint - it wasn't the Memorial Day traffic or the bugs the size of flying walnuts. It was the folks I got to go with.
Listen, Tahquamenon River, Imma let you finish...
But these people are the best campers of all time.
The thing about a trip is that the first day is filled with promise, excitement, newness and a little fear. That's what getting to know Christine was like. See, I only met her one other time (at Pub Trivia) and it was so loud that other than basic pleasantries, it wasn't really possible to learn much about her. On the other hand, there is nothing like four days in the wilderness to tell you about a person.
Starting from the moment we loaded the car in Detroit, I realized Christine was the kind of person you want to be around as much as possible. I might just be saying that because she brought homemade trial mix, but I don't think so. No, the truth is, I think it was obvious that the "meeting someone new" nervousness I felt paled in comparison to what she was feeling. I've known Tim since my freshman year in college and Justin since my senior year. There is a lot of comfort in that.
Christine was meeting Justin for the first time and me for the second. I mention that because, looking back, I am in awe of her bravery. Before we set out on the highway, we decided to stop at a bakery in Mexicantown. On the way in the door, we exchanged a few words about work (we're both working on HPRP stuff at our respective jobs) and the usual I'm-polite-you're-polite dialogue. Those first few hours, we spoke only enough for my impression to be "well, she seems nice".
Ok. Really nice.
By the time we got to Frankenmuth, the tone of the trip had become a bit more set. We stopped for, you guessed it, famous fried chicken. It was super delicious. Now, Justin, Tim and I have a... let's call it endearing... habit of dominating conversations. We all have hours and hours of stories to share and there's nothing like a captive audience to share them with. Christine was quiet, but not inappropriately so, by any means. Given the epic rants that Tim and I traded, the sharp-tongued smart-assery between Justin and I and the hilarious back-and-forth between Justin and Tim; we all didn't really leave much room for a word in edgewise.
It wasn't until we got almost to the Mackinac Bridge that things started to change. We were all just shooting the breeze about silly things and Tim commented on the prevalence of advertisements for Ponderosa along the highway. That's how you can tell it was a long drive. In our growing goofiness, we decided that Ponderosa would have a highly specific sort of personality if he were a person. Ponderosa would be the sort of man to put Werther's Originals on his ice cream. In those moments of divine silliness, I have to say, my ideas paled in comparison to the hilarity of Christine's. That was the moment I felt like we were starting to get to know her.
By the time the next morning rolled around it became clear what an all around amazing person she was. In addition to being able to throw up a tent in about ten freaking seconds, she seemed to be prepared for everything. She was consistently in a good mood, even when the air of tiredness that surrounded her was enough to bring down the happiest person on the planet. She also exemplifies a natural kind of consideration that I wish I had. She is the kind of person who thinks about the happiness of the people around her in a way that I greatly admire.
As the trip came to a close I started to feel like I had genuinely gotten to know Christine, at least a little bit. People forget that it is a privilege to see someone's personality. It isn't a right. You can know someone for years and only see the pleasantries they've chosen to grant you access to. Christine, on the other hand, was kind, open, caring, witty, a little shy and incredibly genuine. So, for me, the story of why Christine is awesome is the story of why camping is awesome. I know more about both than I did before the trip, but there is so much more to learn. I hope, in the future, that I will have that chance. Christine is the type of person that everyone should meet at least once in their life, so they get a chance to see how lovely it is to keep company with someone so genuine.
Coming soon: Why Tim is Awesome.
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