Escape from Reality, Part 1
Posted on Thu Jul 29th, 2021 @ 2:35pm by Lieutenant JG April Collins
Edited on on Thu Jul 29th, 2021 @ 2:37pm
Mission:
Short Treks: Season One
Location: Mount Hood Forest
Timeline: 2257/02/01 0900 hrs
1105 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure
April sat down, shuffling through her backpack. She wanted to make sure she was ready to go. She had been wanting to go on this trip for months. Now this was her chance.
April started to go down a checklist. Making sure to have the ten essentials of backpacking. She made sure to have all of her toiletries. Some extra clothes, and other basic needs like cooking stove, water purifier, tools, and and of course food.
This was going to be a small weekend getaway. Just her and her back pack. She was really looking forward to this adventure. Her classes were going well, and she was going to be graduating in the early Summer.
April had no idea, where she would be assigned. She had dreamed of serving on a Consintution Class starship, but she had a feeling that she would probably be assigned to a Maklin Class Destroyer, or another small vessel.
She would gladly go where starfleet would send her. She was young, and needed to prove her worth. And the best way to do that, was to take the assignments that Starfleet gave her.
It did not take her very long to complete the checklist that she had been working on. After she did, she started to put everything away. Which again, did not take very long to do.
After securing her back, she left her quarters on the academy grounds. She had already seeked approval for the backpacking trip. the pack was lighter than she thought it would be. She adjusted the straps to her shoulders. She wanted to make sure it was set right.
April left her room, and started to make her way out towards the hallway. She lived in a dorm style housing. As she headed down towards the end of the hallway, she started to go over the plan in her head. She wanted to at least get in 10 miles today.
She wanted to get in 10 miles before she set up camp for the night. The trip down the hallway, did not take long. And as she left the hallway, she walked into a center lobby area, that happened to lead out of the building.
April started to pick up her pace cuz she really wanted to get down to the transporter as soon as possible. She was eager to get this day started and she knew she had a 10 mile hike ahead of her.
The journey from her room to the transporter did not take that long no more than 20 minutes. She used this time, to try to figure out where she wanted to camp for the night. Looking at the terrain on the map, was helpful. But in honesty, she would not really know till she started hiking.
If you got on the transporter pad she simply looked at the transporter chief that was on duty and said to him, "energize."
April materialized in the pacific northwest. On the pacific crest trail to be exact. She was going to explore the Jefferson Area. Near the three sisters area.
April re-adjusted her straps on her pack, to make sure they were working properly. After adjusting them, she headed off on the trail. thinking to herself, "freedom."
Freedom from her courses, from stresses of life. Freedom to let loose and have fun. She felt that she needed this badly, and was going to take full advantage of this weekend.
April had a positive attitude, and was all stretched and ready to go on this epic adventure. She made sure she was ready, as she was ever going to be. She had her maps, her compasses, her gear and emergency transponder beacon incase she gets lost. The only thing she needed to do, was take one step and begin her journey.
With a big grin on her face, she started off on the trail. The sound of birds in the back ground chirped as she continued on. The moment was peaceful, and there was a slight breeze. This breeze managed to keep her nice and cool. Making the trip feel more comfortable.
As April started down the trail, she could see the lush forest. Off to the distance was a mountain. April was heading to the base of the mountain. It was a few miles away. It would take her a couple of hours to reach the base of the mountain. She debated about setting up camp at the base of the mountain, or if she could continue on.
There was a creek that was off to the right hand side of the trail, and a small rock like bridge, that really could not be called a bridge, they were loosely placed to make a makeshift bridge. April wasted little time going over it. She had a big grin on her face. This moment was very stimulating and relaxing at the same time.
April continued down the trail, inching closer and closer to the base of the mountain side. She still had a long ways to go. Every step she took, she could feel the worries of the world, the universe fading away.
There was a sent of clean air, and not recycled air like there was at the Academy or on starfleet vessels. She had spent a little bit of time on a starfleet vessel. The air at both places was recycled to keep pollution levels down, and make it easier for the cadets to learn.
As April continued to admire the scenery as she approached the base of the mountain, she took in several views of open lush meadows, surrounded by trees. She took in a few small pond like areas as she continued down the path heading to the base of the mountain.
The trail was so calm and relaxing as she soaked it all in. By the time she got to the base of the mountain, she was fully relaxed and stopped to take a small break. Or to set up camp, she had not decided yet.
She knew, she had more energy in her. She could continue on if she choose too. There was several areas, that could make for a picture perfecting camping spot. The journey was part of the relaxation. But her main focus for coming out here, was to get away from it all and simply relax. She felt a good vibe from this location, but she was curious, to see what else lied out in the distance. What other beauties were waiting. She decided to scale the mountain, and see what was on the other side. The scene starts to fade away.
End of Part 1
