We had a family reunion a week ago and we held it at a campground where we went a lot as a family when I was a kid.
A lot of the campground didn't ring any bells--it's been about 30 years since I've been, and the world looks different when you are an adult than when you are a kid. Things that were big seem smaller, you've got decades of memories to confuse things, and a completely different sense of direction. And I don't know if we were in the same campsites as when I was a kid or not.
But one thing definitely hadn't changed: the creek. There is a creek running through the campground, and as kids, we spent hours wading up and down and all around. It was ice cold, because the water is mountain runoff (so cold it hurts, as my nephews discovered), but if you stayed in the water long enough, your feet went numb so you couldn't feel the ache anymore. But the best part of the creek was that there were spots where it ran over the road. You could drive through the creek! It was the best!!! Imagine my joy to see that is still a feature!
I don't remember much about any hikes when I was a kid. I'm sure we hiked, or at least followed the trails. But this trip, we hiked up to the spring. I don't know if we did that when I was young (our camping trips were very unstructured. I remember just playing outside all day, occasionally reading, and playing some games, so we maybe didn't do formal hikes). A couple of nieces, one nephew, and I drank the spring water, unfiltered. Which may not have been the smartest thing to do, but 1) If you can't drink spring water, what can you drink?, 2) My niece is studying to be a nurse, so surely it's okay?, and 3) I've survived water in stranger places.*
Anyway, it was quite fun to remember my experiences and also to watch my nieces and nephews have their own, new experiences in a place that was such a part of my youth. I don't know if there's a term for that experience--nostalgia mixed with ...what? It was sweet, and if there isn't a word, there should be. And I hope someday (if you haven't already) you get to experience it.
*How ridiculous would it be to get massively ill from water in my home state?! 😂
