Due to the escapades the previous day, we were closer to Buck’s Lake, a tiny town next to a lake, than anticipated. A brisk race up to the top of the climb and a little roadwalk later (Fitz hitched, Mash and me didn’t, our continuous footpath is holy!), we got to Buck’s Lake. Animal Planet and his friend Hot Pocket had some beers going outside the general store. Last time I saw him was in the middle of the desert.
Buck’s Lake didn’t have much in the way of anything, except the lake itself, so we headed over there for a swim after Half and Half and Lucky Charm arrived. Merman and ID were enjoying a snack under an umbrella outside. They were planning to head out soon, but after a little convincing, they joined us in our afternoon swim.
Caked layers of ash and dust washed off us in the cold water. I went in with my clothes on, no way could they smell worse than they did.
‘Catch Up’, Mash said ,’how about you climb that log over there?’
In the distance, a row of logs floated to indicate the border of the marina. One of them stood out because of its size. I swam to it and floundered on top of it. The others joined soon after. Oh what a beautiful time that was. We jumped on the log. We rolled on the log. We revered the log. The log was our haven of bliss. Sadly, 20 minutes in, we were banished from paradise when an angry looking man ran up the pier and yelled at us. Cowed, we swam for shore. The log was left behind, but the memories we made in that short period of time will stay with us for the rest of our life.
Wet log-based antics were replaced by lying flat on the shore. It turned into an actual beach day. We had a discussion about what constitutes a milkshake. Mash was determined to convince us that flavoured milk is a form of milkshake, while the others called him an idiot for such blasphemy.
I took one of Mash’ gummies and in my hubris took a way too big dose. 1.5 hours later, after I’d fully realized my mistake, I laid down on the ground and didn’t get up until dark. The others went inside the restaurant next to the shore to have dinner. Fitz, angel that she is, put her mat under me and bought me some snacks.
My mind wandered for a long time, not that I recall much of it, but I was far gone. People came to check on me from time to time. Animal Planet offered me a beer that I could come get once I felt better, which seemed like an unlikely event at the time.
Eventually things got better and once the rest of the group got back to me (and gave me a pizza they ordered for me) my head was clear again. The nice thing about edibles is that there is no hangover.
Back at the campsite, we made our very first campfire, which was not a bonfire, according to Lucky Charm, as that would involve burning tires and trash here in the US. It was a great end to the day.
IPA got very drunk and got more talkative than ever before. Some of the stuff he said was hilarious. Fitz fell asleep next to the fire. When we were getting ready to head to bed, he went to stand over her and yelled in a stern tone: ‘Fitz, get back in your tent!’ Merlin and I almost fell over laughing.
Although this was one of our most fun town days, it was overshadowed by some sad news. Half and Half had told us earlier she has to leave the group. She’s meeting her family in Oregon and came to realize she had to speed up to make it in time. Starting tomorrow, she would go on alone.