Thank you to Oldbroad76 for editing.
Rachel was wrapping up her latest sale on an app. She didn't really need the extra money, but selling handmade jewellery gave her something to do in the evenings when she was in her apartment alone.
In front of her were five wrapped up bags ready to be shipped. It was 9pm, and this had taken up a couple hours of her time.
Once done, Rachel went for a shower where she washed her long, dirty blonde hair before getting into her white pyjamas and getting into bed.
She woke up at 6am, went to work, returned, and repeated the cycle. Day in and day out for the last four years, this had been Rachel's life.
When she turned 21, Rachel got herself an apartment and a well paid job. Now she was 25 and soon to be 26. Her life was... bland. She had thrown herself into her career, which put the prospect of boyfriends or a social life on hold.
--
"You're doing what?" Her mum asked while Rachel held the phone to her head and pressed cellotape onto a parcel to be sent.
"I'm going camping. It's no big deal, mum." She replied.
"But it's your birthday weekend," her mum complained, "and you're not going to see us."
Rachel understood her mum's annoyance, but she had been planning this for weeks now and was getting really excited about her little trip.
"I know, but I need this." Rachel told her with a sigh.
"But camping on your own, isn't it a little dangerous?" She asked.
"I've been camping before, Mum." Rachel replied.
She could hear her mum sigh disappointingly, but Rachel was not going to change her mind.
"You haven't been camping in years," Her mum said. "Why don't I come with you?"
"No Mum," Rachel told her. "I've been in a rut. The last four years have all merged into one. I need to do this, to get some excitement back into my life and test myself."
That hit the spot for her mum, and Rachel knew that she had gotten through to her.
"Okay, but just be careful, okay?" She replied.
"I will. I love you, mum." Rachel told her.
"I love you too, sweetie." She replied and put the phone down.
Rachel settled on her sofa and loaded up her laptop. She had spent weeks picking locations on where to go camping. Years ago, Rachel was an avid camper. She loved being in the freedom of a field or a forest. But since she lived in London and only focused on work, it had been years since she had gone out into the wilderness.
And now she was going to challenge herself. Rachel had heard about "Wild Camping", where you don't go to a camping site, but you just go to an open area and set up camp. Truthfully it came with advantages and disadvantages, such as not having people around for miles, but if something went wrong, then Rachel would be completely on her own.
However, Rachel was just planning on going on hikes and relaxing. She didn't see any reason why she would get hurt. And she wanted the challenge, to push herself out of this rut and bring some life back into her.
That weekend Rachel bought everything she would need. A tent, sleeping bag, walking gear, and plenty of food and water.
Rachel knew this would be an important weekend to her, which is why she picked it on her 26
th
birthday. It marked a new beginning where she would enjoy life again.
The only thing that annoyed Rachel was that when she first planned it, the weather for that weekend was supposed to be very hot and blue skies, but a week before her date to set off, rain unleashed from the clouds above and didn't stop for five days straight.
She had booked Friday and Monday off work, and she feared that the weather would make her have to cancel. And then, on Thursday, the rain stopped, and the sun shined.
Yes!
Rachel thought while looking out of her apartment window,
thank you, god!
She saw this as a sign.
Friday
Rachel had finished packing her car to the brim with her equipment and a few books she planned on reading finally! And something she bought a few days ago, which excited the life out of her!
Even though she was racked with nerves while in the shop, Rachel bought herself a little purple bullet vibrator to take camping with her. She had never owned a sex toy before, but with this "new beginnings" trip, she wanted something memorable.
As she finished packing, a text came through on her phone.
Mum:
Be safe this weekend! Keep me updated! I love you!
Rachel smiled and brushed her dirty blonde hair back between her ears.
Rachel:
I will. I probably won't be able to charge my phone since I'll be in the middle of nowhere lol! If I don't text, don't worry. I'll call you as soon as I can. I love you too.
And with that, Rachel got into her car and began to drive.
It was a three hour drive. She wanted to get as far from city life as possible. The spot she found was recommended to her on Reddit. It was a giant field with a forest next to where she planned to set up camp. Although it was a beautiful area, apparently it was not used often, and adding the bad weather lately, Rachel expected it to be completely deprived of life, which is what she wanted.
As she drove, she blasted music from her car and shouted the words with it. Windows down while driving into the wild, Rachel felt free and couldn't even try to stop the smile on her face.
--
Setting up the tent was harder than Rachel remembered. It took her just over an hour to get it set up. The tent was small, just big enough to fit one person. Inside she had her sleeping bag, books, and a lantern. The rest would stay in her car with her supplies, equipment, and clothes.
Once done, Rachel stood and looked across the landscape with a victorious grin. It was hot, but she was under completely blue skies with a small breeze that blew her blonde hair slightly.
Her view was filled with green fields and hills. Behind her was a large forest that went so deep that she couldn't see entirely through it.
Right then,
she thought,
let's get walking.
Rachel wore a pair of beige shorts and a navy blue vest. She had brown walking boots on and thick, red socks. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail to stop it from getting in her face. And with that, she set off on a route she found online.
The ground was wet from the days of heavy rain, which filled the ground with thick mud and made every step a slog. After twenty minutes of walking on a flat field, she ascended up a hill. It wasn't that big a hill, but god it took its toll on Rachel.
As she reached the peak of the hill, she saw a large stone to sit and rest on. As Rachel's plump bum hit the stone, her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.
Jesus, I need to get back into the gym,
she thought. Once upon a time Rachel was a fit and healthy gym girl. But years of focussing on work and nothing else had taken that away.
She looked down at her legs exposed by her shorts. Her thighs were thicker than they used to be, as were her calves.
Her shoes were already coated in a thick layer of wet mud, which had also splashed up and started to dry along her leg.
She panted as she looked out at the blue skies and fields around her.
God, I love this.
