Welcome to Gaia! ::

As morning approached Sam stirred in her sleeping bag, she'd almost forgotten she'd come out when she felt warmth next to her. Opening her eyes she saw Reuben and smirked a bit. Oh yeah, camping funs. Yawning wiggled quietly out of her sleeping bag, sneaking off into the woods for a quick bit then returning to grab a small bag. It had some cleaning things, all natural soap and such for a quick wash. Nothing big for just a weekend trip.

She waited for Reuben to awaken and walked towards the lake this time, as it was opposite of them cliff they'd watched the sun set last evening. She found a small hill which let them see the horizon as the first pinks of the new day came into being. A few birds began to chirp before the sun peaked over the valley, spreading it's warm rays. Sam smiled, she preferred sunset honestly but this was still nice. "Tau would be singing his praises right about now. Welcome Ra back into the sky on his mighty boat. That reminds me he wanted to see your shop, looking for some herbs to put on one of his alters to the gods back at his home."

They walked down the the lake, Sam stopping for a quick change of clothes before getting washed up. She was actually able to catch a small fish while down there, cleaning it before returning to camp. She took some waxy papers from her bag as well as a nice sweet potato. "Come on, lets have some breakfast."

She wrapped the fish in the paper, then wrapped the sweet potato separate. Going over to their fire she poked about the coals, finding a nice hot center still under the embers. Shoving the two wrapped bundles under the coals she buried them again before digging through her bag for her handy dandy spork. After a bit she pulled the fish and potato out, handing a perfectly baked sweet potato to Reuben and a nice baked fish for herself. Then she stoked the fire and added fuel to make some tea.

Sam smiled as the man spoke of the beauty of the day. It was nice to be around someone who enjoyed nature as much as she did. Tau was like this, already talking about showing his daughter the wonders the gods had bestowed upon them.

She smiled and nodded, taking the tea bags, "Better than my stuff. I ran out of the tea my mother sent me from the last village they were in. It was great stuff, strong but a real robust flavor to it."

Once breakfast was over and their energy restored she looked to him as he asked about the day's schedule, "Well I do want to hike out a bit. Check some animals we released into the park last year. Forest animals native to this area. Want to make sure they survived the winter well. We don't have to be in a hurry if you need to stop and look at anything."

She finished her tea then packed her backpack for the hike. Plenty of water, some rope, essentials. Looking up at the sun she judged their time and looked out into the forest. "You ready?" she smiled and began to head out.

Sam walked through the forest with confidence. Her eyes look around at different trees, stopping to touch them and look at the bark. "Deer must have feed good this year, not as much bark stripped. Its normally all they have in the winter."

They hiked for a good three hours, making an oval shape as they moved. Sam would stop, ducking down a bit in the bushes as she observed animals moving through the forest. She wasn't exactly a ninja but she could move silently enough so as not to scare them. A small notebook came from her pack as she made notes with a pencil.

Sam was glad Reuben was enjoying the hike, also glad he was obviously in shape and enjoyed the trek. Going with some people, who got tired easily or complained really brought down a hike. Sam was obviously strong, her stride easy but confidant. Her long hair swished behind her, a moving wave of red like a flame. She stopped when he wished to take some samples and such, taking the time to look for any fresh animal tracks.

"Looks like a few of the squirrels we released are doing well, I see the tracks. One of them lost a toe on their right foot after being hit by a car. Was surprised he survived at all," she made a few notes in her notebook.

She grinned at the man as he talked about the herbs and such he'd found. She knew a few things, mostly for survival like what's edible and what can be used for wounds. "Tansy's good but peppermint is just as good. And it can be carried easier. That and I like the smell," he chuckled.

They'd been hiking for a few hours when Sam decided to stop for lunch. She took a swig of water before setting herself down in a sunny spot against a rock. Pulling out a PBJ samwich and some raisins out of her bag she munched on her food. "So far I've seen signs of the squirrels and even a raccoon. The others, a weasel and a fox, should still be hold up for another few weeks."

Sam smiled as she finished her sandwich and put the wrap in her bag. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the sun on her skin, feeling it's warmth seeping into her. It was a comforting feeling, like nature embracing you with warm arms and light floral perfume.

Cracking one eye open she smiled at the man, "I learned long ago to take time for one's self. A shaman in the village once told me if one always works for outward things, the inner things wither and die. Like a garden. Sure you can spend your time building fences to protect them, talking with people about selling your produce, even thinking of recipes. But if you do all this and do not care for the plants, all the rest is a waste."

Once she was warmed up she lead them back to the campsite, poking the fire up to keep it going. After a bit of searching for more wood, she put on some coffee, just for a bit more caffeine.