By: Kyla Henty, Crew Charlie
Happy 19th birthday to me! This was my first birthday in the woods and I’m going to have to say, it didn’t disappoint. My birthday started right at midnight, cowboy camping under the Milky Way with all my new best friends. Murph whispered “happy birthday Kyla!”, completing her mission of being the first person to wish me a happy birthday. I woke up on the 16th with a BEAUTIFUL view of the misty Rocky Mountains, in my opinion, the best way to wake up. I scarfed down my steaming hot apple cinnamon oatmeal, flooding my body with warmth from head to toe. After packing up the van and scurrying into my middle-back seat (in my opinion the best!) we took off into town for our well-deserved break. First stop: the community rec center. To my b-day surprise, what would normally be an end of the week shower transformed into a waterslide, diving board, hot tub extravaganza! From back flops off the diving board to speed racing down the water slide my birthday had already been made. After a much needed shower and grocery run, it was time for dinner and to set up camp around Basalt, CO. Dinner tonight was going to be a Richmond, VA classic: “Roots Bowls”. Cooking meals must be one of my favorite parts of the day out here. I had one person ripping kale, someone else on chopping duty, and another cooking up some rice in the mega-group-pot. I assigned myself tofu duty: slicing it up and lathering it with a yummy garlic-herb marinade. Dinner was a hit, garnishing the b-day bowls with cilantro, pita chips, and feta. By this point my birthday felt complete, eating a fulfilling dinner with people that already felt like family, all admiring the pink and orange glowing sky. Just as I felt my birthday couldn’t possibly get any better, I was met with such a meaningful surprise. Just a day earlier, my friend had casually asked me while we were working on trail “Hmmm… Kyla what do you think your favorite dessert is? Mine has got to be cookies.” Without any suspicion I confidently replied “I’m going to have to say cheesecake.” After b-day dinner, my friend Luke beckoned me away from the kitchen, my back facing the rest of the crew. During Luke’s poor, yet funny, attempt at distracting me, I heard the spark of the struggling lighter running low on fuel. Before I knew it, Luke spun me around, my crew awaiting me with a full sized, multi flavored cheesecake, each slice tastefully decorated with a candle. Before I had left my home, I was honestly not excited for my b-day, worried that it would serve as a reminder of how much I missed my friends and family back in VA. I couldn’t have been more wrong, as these 10 people made this day feel more special than it ever had. I could not be more grateful for this experience, these people and all the memories we have created in the first couple of weeks. I’m going to have to say my 20th birthday will in no way compare.
