Feral Field Notes 005: The One With Howling
Day 5 of 100: No coffee, beaucoup bugs, and a sunset and fire that make it all so very worth it.
Welcome to Feral Field Notes, a series where I’m documenting my 100 day writing pilgrimage across the US (start at the beginning here).
Save the Date: this month’s Writers Chat is tomorrow, Sunday, June 29 at 11:00 am PST. Join me for an hour of our usual structure followed by an optional, 30-minute Q&A about my trip and learn just how behind I am in these field notes! Link at bottom of post to register.
Pilgrim Passport
Start
A campsite in Sunset Campground, Kings Canyon National Park
End
A different campsite in the same campground
Feral Field Notes
I woke up early this morning to the sight of a beautiful, towering Sequoia tree and fresh earthy mountain smells.
Then I remembered that I’d kinda ruined my JetBoil when I tried to cook dinner in it last night (I should’ve known better), where the contents hardened to the bottom so badly that I couldn’t scrape them out no matter how hard I tried.
Which meant: no coffee this morning.
The Sequoia seemed a little less exciting with this sobering realization.
After packing up, I drove to the visitor center for their WiFi so I could find and book a campsite and finally leave my criminal past behind me. Then I walked up to the giant map on the (still-closed) visitor center, chose a spot to drive to where I could sit along the river and write, and left.
I immensely enjoyed the early morning light spilling over the mountains and through the trees, accompanied by many good tunes I listened to over the next 45 minutes (Feel it All by Pena was a favorite today).
I drove the scenic road along King’s River until I found a spot where I could pull over, set up my chair, and start my morning pages and writing ritual with the rushing water as company. I loved the slow pace of reading Long Quiet Highway, pausing often to copy a line or five into my notebook and add my own notes, reflections, or capture the memories they elicited—kinda felt like collecting clay to make into sculptures later.
Excerpts from Morning Pages & Other Notes
10:53 am, by Kings (Canyon?) River
The way the tree shadows are flitting around this page remind me of my friend with cancer and how she painted the shadows in her grown son’s room because of how much time she spent there, unable to move without help, watching the sun change their lines throughout the day. Noticing the world and its details in a way few do. I miss her.
…
The bugs have really started coming out in full force and are super distracting and bite-y. I really want to stay hunkered down (not bunkered, like I said in my previous post, woops) somewhere to do a big writing push, but I can tell I’ve reached the end of my time by this river, for now.
Time to drive on to see what’s ahead, then turn around, maybe get a coffee and write at the restaurant, or maybe my new campsite will be less buggy?
12:25 PM, Grant Grove Restaurant
I’m at a hightop table in the corner of this park restaurant, window open, jazz music playing, families at tables eating and planning their next activity in the park.
Crow sounds now. Waiting for iced coffee. Need to regroup and begin again (wrote list).
Feeling a lot of resistance to the WIP (work in progress) because of the “high stakes” stories and beliefs I’ve attached to it, blergh. It began as what I thought was a simple, story-filled explanation of the “why” of this trip that then ballooned into something else—multiple things, really. Maybe I should… (writing blahs for two pages).
8:37 PM, Sunset Campground
(“Ahwoooo!” little German girl howling on boulder over to my left with her dad, so sweet!)
Wow. What a view! What a sunset! What a HOT fire to my immediate right.
Hat on. Headlamp on. Scooched to picnic table.
Food’s in bear storage box. Car is mostly made up and ready for bed when the time comes, but I’m enjoying this fire so much that I’m in no hurry.
Lit a citronella candle that I got in town today, too. Got my little camp table up, various camping accoutrements are spread out over the flowery design—a lighter, bug spray, water bottle, phone.
The sky is still so gorgeous each time I look up. The orange-reds are so deep, and it’s still like a (dark) rainbow-cloud sky. It’s so much quieter over here compared to where I was in the middle of the campground last night, smooshed against others, including a boy scout troupe and the bathrooms.
It’s almost too quiet… better to hear any bears approaching, I guess, though everything is sounding like a critter now, especially because there are no campers in the empty sites to either my left or right (which is great but also a tad spooky).
Kinda wish I had bear spray. Maybe I should put the knife back on my hip… K, done. Geez, can you imagine, like a bear stomps up and I’m like, you better watch out Mr. Bear, look at this knife that I recently used to cut a RED. PEPPER. For my hummus…
I can imagine droning on like for so long that I actually do fend it off by boring it to death.
Photo Diary
With love from the woods,
Katie
Continue to day 6 here.
Upcoming & Recurring
Next Writers Chat: Join me tomorrow, Sunday, June 29 at 11:00 am PST for an hour of our usual structure followed by an optional, 30-minute Q&A about my trip and learn just how behind I am in these field notes!
This is a recurring chat for paid subscribers who can register for it here (it’s the honor system this month folks. I don’t have it in me to create a separate post right now).
Find everything else here.