Today the counselor room of Mt. Rainier is empty, because Erlinda flew back to California while I was gone. I was looking through my folders and found this memory of Erlinda from the spring of 2010, one of my favorite memories of times with Erlinda.
Erlinda and I worked at camp together. We didn’t know each other very well, so when my travels took me within visiting distance of her, I insisted she let me stay for a few nights.
Feeling a deep burning in my soul to live a life full of adventure and story, I suggested we watch the sun rise together. Agreeing, she suggested we drive someplace where the sunrise would be even more beautiful than her front yard. Building on our newfound adrenaline, I suggested we left right then and camped out in my car. By the time we realized that my backseats folded into what could be a makeshift bed, we were sold. Our hearts were in it and there was no turning back.
While Erlinda showered, I took my suitcases and bags out of the trunk, laid out my sleeping bag and some blankets, and prepared for takeoff.
Erlinda finished showering around midnight, and we looked up a place to watch the sunrise and what time the sun would rise and decided to nap until it was time to leave. I set my alarm to 4:45 am and fell asleep on the floor.
Sleep never comes easy when you are anticipating awaking. At one point, I woke up and the room was brighter than it should be and I looked at my clock. The sun had started to rise ten minutes prior. I forgot to turn my phone off of silent.
I woke Erlinda up, told her the sad news, and we relocated to her bedroom.
We never saw the sun rise.
