This piece was something I wrote for a writing competition where the focus was, to write about a connection to nature from the contemporary perspective. I decided to write a story using my experience from a camping trip at Lake Lyell near Lithgow. So tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy it.

The soft sunlight breached the fabric of the overhanging camp gazebo, it slapped my skin from half way up my calf right down to the tips of my toes. The clouds must have finally parted I thought to myself, what good fortune. Without looking I could sense the solar energy seeping in through my pores; it wasn’t long before I developed the motivation to step up and out of my comfy camping chair and out into the emerging luminance.

Departing from the campsite chatter, the sunshine ran up my legs and splashed my face. Away from the conversation, which was interesting but could never feel this blissful, I could now hear the hum of a motor in the distance.

I shaded my eyes from the saturating sun to glimpse the sight of the sound. And there it was, out across the waters of Lake Lyell. A dinghy speeding along with three people manning the vessel. Watching from afar, I saw the boat cut sharp turns with ease, leaving waves and bubbling foam in its wake. The waves subsided and the foam dissolved but the boat carried on.

I needed to get a better look, even if only slightly. Like any prodigal son I left the safety and comfort of the campsite; instead, choosing to bravely rough it through the thick long grass which separated the bluff where the campsite was and the beach. Wading through the grass, the seemingly infinite number of blades brushed against my skin causing an itching sensation, but I didn’t mind.

Once the coarse sand found its way in between my toes I gravitated closer and closer to the water. It wasn’t more than 10 metres from the grass but it felt like I was trekking across the Sahara because time seemed to slow down. I completely tunnel visioned on the boat, its motions and the occupants aboard.

The way it seemed to gracefully cut through the water was mesmerising to watch. When the throttle was maxed, the motor roared and the mouth of the boat rose above the water. Gliding along as such, its manoeuvrability wasn’t hampered in the slightest, I mean I’m no expert but if anything I felt it improved.

Barney, the one steering, had his wildly long, blonde hair flapping about in the wind, truly a spectacle to behold. At the front was ‘Cutty’ who was still grinning after his turn at captaining the ship. Between the two was Felix, puffing away on his trusty vape. They were odd balls, no doubt… but every good mate inspected up close is a bit strange, aren’t they?

They were all smiles, and that sense of joy infected me too as I found myself smiling. But then, the icy chill of the water gripping my ankle alerted me to where I was standing; the foot of the shore. I looked up and this time was arrested by the sight of what I saw.

All along the perimeter of the lake: left, right and on the other side, stood these colossal trees. One by itself wouldn’t have been that commanding, but looking at how the leaves and branches meshed together to create a lush green tapestry, was something else. Best of all, was the fluid nature of its composition, almost mimicking the water as it constantly shifted in rhythm with the breeze.

My attention then gravitated towards the other marvels around me. The sky, the emerald gloss of the water as well as the singing birds; everything gushed with an interconnected energy. I can retell this to you with great accuracy but at the time not a single thought lingered in my mind; no I was instead lost in the oneness of my environment.

Turning back around to greedily steal another glimpse of nature’s gems, I saw for the first time the giant tree which hovered over the campsite. That’s when thought remerged in my mind, “How could I have missed that?”.  Simple, I never bothered to look up.

Suburban life has done that to us all, we become so accustomed to local parks that have been designed down to the last detail. Or other modern trappings that in the process we lose what is so special about nature. It’s majestic simplicity.

Behind me, the dinghy’s motor became louder and louder before cutting out abruptly, what broke the following silence was Barney’s voice. “Hey it’s your turn to take her for a spin”.

Looking back over my shoulder I thought, “It’s time for the Beach Master to become the Wave rider”.