One Moment of Serenity….........By: Isaac Vaisberg

After a 9.4-mile hike through the redwood forests of Big Sur, the Nothin’ But G’s arrived at Barlow Flats. The campsite at Barlow flats was simple, cozy, and had a view of the mountains in the horizon, but its most magnificent feature was the river that flowed adjacent to it. The crash of the current against the rocks in the river gave the campsite an air of freshness unparalleled to anything I have ever smelled before. Along with the freshness came a sense of peace, a sense of belonging. While at Barlow Flats we all felt more connected to nature than we ever had before. One moment in particular remains in my mind. I was sitting on my Crazy-Creek by the river reading my book, The Fountainhead, when Ben Sacks came and asked if he could join me. I gladly invited him to sit next to me and join in my time of relaxation. Within seconds of Ben sitting down we were both in a trans-like state; our eyes attentively following the text, our ears eagerly listening to the running of the river in front of us, our noses vigorously taking in the scent of fresh mint from the surrounding foliage. We both, as I later found out from Ben, were, at that moment, at peace with ourselves as well as nature. Somehow, by silently reading next to each other, we managed to build a connection so strong that a small interruption by one of our teammates caused us both to, in unison, ask him to leave us to our Zen-like state. It was a moment of pure serenity and bliss. We were both focus on our reading, focus on our breathing, and focused on the rush of the water in the river. Nothing else mattered at that moment. No one else existed save the characters in our books and each other. When we were called to dinner it took us a while to be able to leave that tranquil state. We were both so in tune with nature at that point that it was hard to let go. We soon managed to get up and rejoin the group for a night of conversation and feast. Although the moment was gone, the memory remained. I’ll never forget that moment of pure serenity with Ben by the side of the river a Barlow Flats.