Victory and a Trip
Tomorrow I set off on a journey of epic proportions to devour the glorious vistas along the mountain trail, to shun the conveniences of civilization, and to fellowship with my brotherhood of friends in a peaceful haven nestled amongst the crags of the Cascades. The destination, Rock Lake, is a place of myth and of legend. I have heard tales of its wonders from travellers who have past occasioned upon it, and now I go to see for myself whether they hold true with the reality. Will the rumours surpass the legend, as happens so often in this age of dreary mediocrity. Or will the legend instead surpass the rumours and fill me with joy in my first tasting of it, that thereafter on my pilgrimage I am sent into transports of delight that will end only reluctantly upon the return? Perhaps I may always long for another glimpse, but forever be bound to this drab plane in which we live. And will then my life be fuller or more pale that I have gazed upon the bounty of the Earth? I shall cast myself into that uncertainty, and emerge with a new understanding. Gods willing, I may have the better of the two.
Upon my return, you will not need simply take my words as truth, for I shall bring back evidence of my travels, that you may also delight in its beauty. A fiendish device I have, which steals the essence of a place and throws it into its bowels, only to keep it trapped there for all eternity. It may then be paraded about on other arcane instruments, so other eyes may glimpse the memories of another. These visions and more I shall convey into your hands from afar.
Wish me luck, that I may indeed share in the perfection of experience, and be filled with light when once again I speak to you.
(A necessary piece of equipment for such a sojourn into the uncivilized corners of the world is the "tent", which, though found in many various sizes and shapes and manufacture, often includes a strange contraption called a "zipper". This has been causing me no end of grief for the last couple years. I finally examined it, and sought teaching in its setting-right. From there, it was but an easy step to mend the "zipper". Now no tragic flaws exist in my equipment, and I may depart in all readiness; this is the victory of which I spoke.)