Pinecrest and Me

Back when I was in ... probably middle school? I took a trip with my best friend and her mom. We were going camping, something I almost never did. We drove out of the city, went for a bit further, and arrived at an area near a lake. My best friend and I enjoyed ourselves, swimming, running around, looking for snakes. Our last full day there my friend was sick, so she stayed in the tent and slept and her mom and I took a long hike out away from the lake. I enjoyed myself.

Cut to the year 2000. The year I graduated high school. It was the early summer, and a friend of mine, H, had spent the past summer and some of that school year working for an internet company. He had been partially paid in stock, and when the company went public, H became quite the rich man, at least by high school senior standards. When his birthday came, he decided to treat several of us to a mini-vacation out in the woods, to a place he had gone fishing with his dad as a child. Pinecrest. So we packed up and took off.

The morning after we arrived, H rented us a party boat. As soon as we were on the lake, I saw an oddly familiar scene. It took me a while, but I eventually recognized the area as where I had camped with my best friend all those years ago. Now, camping areas in the bay area are quite prevalent, so it's a very surprising coincidence that I would happen to wind up here again.

As a group, through college and after, we continued to travel to Pinecrest. Through just last year, and I assume we'll be going again this year. I have missed the trip twice, once because I was in Hawaii with my boyfriend at the time and his family, and last year, as I had already taken an immense amount of time off of work to help my grampa move, and the trip was going to take place in the middle of the week.

I love having this tradition. It gives me a chance to catch up with my high school friends, see nature (from the luxury of a cabin), eat good foods and drink good wine. This is a tradition I hope to pass on to my children. I'll update here if the vacay happens again this year. I'm rooting for it.