Reminds me of deer season

Family trip to see the Grandparents and hunting for fun!

At 2:30 am, we would be lead in the dark, damp Louisiana night to the truck. Not being able to make sense of it, we followed as sheep. Rattling in the back to the campsite in the forest, we awaited our fun deer hunting adventure. They would gather the hunting gear out of my Grandparents truck and the four of them set off in different directions, the thrill of the hunt foremost on their minds.

Usually, they locked us in the camper of a 1961 Chevy step-sider with a white camper that had a black stripe; my Dad built a bench and covered it with black Naugahyde to match. They would fill a cooler with treats and drinks, and put a Coleman heater in the middle and turn the handles on the small, screened windows for ventilation. The four of us had a pillow and a quilt-- like little cavemen of the future. As I became a teenager, my protests of this tradition became more verbal. One time my Mom gave in and took me along-- angry at having me hoard in on her idea of heaven, she marched at a quick clip ahead of me. Intuition sets in and she decides, this is the spot. Dead center of a dirt road, on a curve, in the dark.  In the distance I can hear the hunting dogs barking, a hollow, resounding and even in this situation it's an awesome sound. I am breathing in the smell of the morning in the deep woods, and suddenly there it is! I yell " A deer!!!" She swings her 30 gauge in my direction as I hit the clay, the deer leaped over my head and ran away.

I was sent back to the truck and locked in. It was a doe, anyway.

Grounded! for letting the deer get away.

Of course.

My brother was jealous I had even been paroled for a short time, picked up the Coleman heater and stuck it to my jeans leg by my calf. It melted the pattern into my skin. I became the HULK and decided to pry the roof off of this pain mobile. Didn't work. Still have claustrophobia. The scar is finally unnoticeable after 40 years.

Later, when we had 4 boys. my Mother said "You should get a camper and when you go somewhere, just lock them in" Boys, be grateful...we had a minivan:)

It made me have a panic attack remembering this.

Author's Note

I would love to hear from others who had this as a family vacation.

Reviews

[A]

Just had more time to read this, and wow! So sorry that happened, if we ever go camping no locks! (: Great description, liked the part where you talked about the burn.