Susquehanna Sojourn was the first event I had the pleasure of attending and I know it will not be my last. But like alot of my letterboxing journeys the road was not smooth and simple. The night before was like Christmas Eve, and it was impossable to sleep. I finally dozed off about 2 hours before my alarm went off.
I quickly got up and started gathering everything we needed to take with us for the day. My boys, the King of Hearts, 5, and Jack of Hearts, 3, were going to be daddys little hitch hikers for the event and they couldn't wait either. I had to grab my dish to pass out of the oven as well. I decided to make baked beans, Enough, it would turn out, to feed the people at the event, my ex in laws, and half of my neighborhood. My phone then rang. It was Red Barn Photos calling to let me know that she was running a little bit late.
The boys soon began with the "Is she here yet" every 3 seconds. We doubled checked the gear and loaded up the Jeep and waited. Then waited, and waited just a little bit more for our trip to begin. Once she arrived, coffee in hand, it was time to set out. We were off and the boys could hardly contain themselves. They were talking about all the boxes they were going to find, the stamps they would get and the people they would meet.
But like all my journeys, there were a few navigation issues. I had the directions, but since I was driving I couldn't be expected to read them, and Red Barn Photos didn't realize that the navigator actually had to navigate. After a quick detour when we missed our exit, we were finally at the event.
I was amazed at all the letterboxers in one place. I saw names on name tags that I had just seen in logbooks or on Atlas Quest and I couldn't wait to jump right in. But where to start? Since it was already hot, and supposed to get even hotter - it was suggested that we get the boxes on the trails first, then come inside for exchanges and event stamps. We quickly agreed and off we went.
As we left the lodge Red Barn Photos commented that she was not really wearing appropriate foot wear for letterboxing, sandals. We set off down the trail and found the first box, then the second. And as we were returning to the trail, foot wear came into play, for our beloved - yet accident prone - Red Barn Photos. Coming down a small incline she slipped and her foot slid under a tree root ripping half the nail off her big toe. She decided it was best for her to head back to the lodge, and the boys, being brave, accompanied her and left me to melt in the heat to retrieve the rest of the boxes on the first trail.
I soon returned to the lodge about 5 pounds lighter to find the boys running around searching for stamps hidden around the room and everyone just amazed at how well they were doing. The next few hours were a blur of exchanges, personal traveller clues, event stamps, and the occasional scavenger hunt for little hearts. By the end of the day I had filled a bunch of pages in my logbook and met alot of people. I even got my first few cooties.
The boys were upset when it was time to go, because they wanted to find more boxes, even though they were clearly tired. On the way home I realized that I missed exchanges with about 1/4 of the attendees, and missed a few personal travellers that I really wanted. I guess there is always the next event.
We got home, found that the boys had cooties too, and ordered a pizza. After dinner it was bath time. Jack of Hearts almost fell asleep in the bathtub, even though he swore he wasn't tired. Once he layed down and was asleep, I decided to quick check Atlas Quest. King of Hearts asked if we could play a game because he "was not the least bit tired." I told him, "5 minutes and I am all yours". 3 minutes later there was the soft sound of snoring coming from behind me on the bed.
I logged my finds, looked at my logbook and marvelled at the stamps that I had found and hoped that one day I can carve as well as some of the people that I met. I tried to sleep, but the King was diaginal across the bed and I was still too excited. I guess the next event can't come soon enough.
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