Dandrea Walton

The Trip

Chapter 1 “Dad!” yelled Nathan excitedly as he clicked his seatbelt in place, “Let’s go!” Nathan was an average 10-year-old high-spirited little boy. His laughing brown eyes, which he inherited from his mother, were anxiously watching his dad stow away their camping gear in the rear of their beat-up old jeep. Nathan was warmly dressed in a red flannel shirt with a white t-shirt underneath and a fur lined all-weather coat to combat the snow and the cold that was forecasted for their weekend in the mountains. Today was the start of the annual camping trip with his dad and he couldn’t wait to get on the road. “Alright, alright, I’m coming,” George Lancaster said with a slight smile as he put the last bag into the jeep. Nathan was always so eager to get on the road. He and Nathan had been taking their annual father/son camping trip for the last five years, starting when Nathan was only five. George always looked forward to it, even more so now that Nathan was getting older. He knew that soon Nathan would be more interested in hanging out with his friends than spending time with him. “Ok, son are you ready?” George asked as he took one last look in the trunk to make sure everything was packed. He was also dressed warmly in a similar red flannel long sleeved shirt as Nathans. He had on jeans, long underwear and a heavy coat that should stand up to the snow, wind and cold. His longish black hair was covered up with a cap. “Yep, let’s go dad,” Nathan said as he looked over to see his dad coming around the car. He loved going camping with his dad every year. They would pitch their tents, gather firewood, and then go fishing. Nathan loved fishing. He and his dad had a standing bet that the one that caught the most fish would select the camping location for the next year, and he was determined to win this year. George opened the door to the family’s old Jeep Cherokee. It had seen better days and wasn’t in the best shape, but it was part of their camping tradition, and he loved it.