8-21-08 part I

Friends, rowdiness, and a campsite: lend me your gear

My long time friend is getting married, for the second time—this time to a nice girl! I like her and so does my wife. When Steve told me that he proposed to Erika, I was relieved. He would finally have a wife that I liked.
This also means a bachelor party. This time around, however, it’s going to be a little different. We are all older, have a small amount of pocket money and know what is needed to make a bachelor party a success. We are getting the old group of guys together and going camping. No girls. A true Man-cation.
Steve’s brother called me about 3 months ago and informed me that the plan was to get about 12 of the old “crew” together and go white-water rafting for 3 days in West Virginia.
I should, at this point let you know, that this group of guys, including myself, just about raised each other. Starting in high school, we all somehow became friends and all hung out in an old carriage house/barn that was on Steve’s parents property. So I guess you can say we were raised in a barn. Over the years, other “friends” came and went but this group of guys stayed in touch and were always there for each other.
Recently we have all found ourselves living in different parts of the country, so catching up is going to be great. I haven’t seen some of these guys in about ten or so years.
As the trip grows nearer, the e-mails and phone calls have been at a feverish pace. I found myself slipping back into conversation and the general mentality of a 22 year old. The morning that everyone meets at Steve’s is going to be a big mess of testosterone and immaturity. I am sure of it. I’ll make sure of it!
As you read this I will probably be on the road and hopefully already be in West Virginia. We should be there by noon on Friday. All of the catching up will probably be done during the drive and we will all be in full bore immaturity mode at that point. The weekend will be made up of 12 parts testosterone; 2 parts rubber raft; 3 parts mountains; and a dash of someone hopefully watching over us.
Mike, Steve’s brother, did a good job of setting up this trip. He found a company that guides the trips. We won’t have to do a lot of work or thinking. The guides will take us down the river and get us from start to our lunch spot and then to our camp site. Other members of the rafting company will carry our tents and gear down river to the campsite and even cook our dinner. All we will have to do is let loose, eat, drink and do our best to stay in the raft.
Did I say we were going camping? I meant to say we were just going to float down the river and sleep in the woods! Now that I think about it, they are even going to have games and some music at the campsites.
Despite the fact that we won’t necessarily be roughing it, we will surely have a blast. There is nothing like getting old friends together. A friendship that never dies and is unconditional is something to hold onto tightly.
When I get back from the trip, I will bore you with the details and give you a play by play of 12 thirty-something’s digressing to a high school mentality.
It should be good.
Bryan Pinkey can be reached at bpinkey@nccox.com.