"Could you please roll that window up!?" Julia's mom shouted back to her over the din of the wind blowing by the car.
"Well then can you at least turn the A/C on!?" Julia shouted back to the front seat. Julia saw her dad click on the A/C before reaching over and clicking the switch to roll the window up for her.
"Sorry sweetie! It's just...you know, this thing has a hard time going up these mountain hills!" her dad called back to her. "We can keep it on for a bit I suppose."
"This thing," Josh said disdainfully, "is a piece of crap and should have been replaced a long time ago!"
Their dad tilted the rear-view mirror to look back at Josh. "Hey, this thing has taken you on countless camping trips, so you watch it!" His dad's voice was stern, but he was clearly smiling underneath his bushy mustache.
Josh was Julia's older brother, by two years. Every summer since they were kids, their parents would take them on the annual camping trip. This year's destination was the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Every year they made a point of going somewhere different, putting along in their parent's green 1988 Isuzu Rodeo.
Julia had just completed her second year of college at University of Wisconsin-Madison - Josh his fourth. The two were practically inseparable when they were kids; despite being two years older, Josh would always find time to hang out with his little sister, even if it meant dressing up and playing "tea party."
However, these days, school and life had become so chaotic that it was hard to find time to do anything together. They were luckily if they could find time to grab lunch together in the student union building. These little family vacations were always a welcome respite after a demanding spring semester.
"Are we there yet?" Julia whined in a childish tone, mostly joking.
"Oh great. Don't you start missy!" Julia's father tilted the mirror again, looking back at her.
Julia stuck out her tongue and then smiled, the dimples in her cheeks showing. Her nose and cheeks were already showing freckles. Her brown hair, still a bit frizzy from having the window down, lay across her shoulders. She was wearing a snug fitting pair of Daisy Dukes, perhaps a bit small for her these days.
After a few more hours, the family had finally arrived at the trailhead. Josh stretched as he got out of the car, squinting his eyes against the bright midday sun.
"Kids, would you guys mind grabbing the tents and the cooler? We'll grab what we can and when we get up there, mom and I will setup the tents and you guys can come back for the rest." Josh and Julia's dad instructed, pulling his ball cap into place.
Julia and Josh both groaned and marched around stubbornly to the back of the car, opening the lift gate. Josh took hold of the heavy cooler and Julia grabbed the tents.
"We're going to start heading up there then," Julia retorted, passing by her dad who was rubbing sunscreen into his arms. "Since we have to make forty million trips."
They hiked up the trail, which thankfully was mostly in the shade from the canopy of trees. It was still about 90 degrees though and it was a miserable uphill climb.
After about twenty minutes, they finally arrived at a spot that looked like a pretty good campsite. There was a slight clearing in the trees and in the center, a ring of rocks for a campfire.
The siblings set down their payloads and sat side by side atop the cooler, taking a short rest. They waited there quietly, catching their breath and a short while later saw their parents coming up the trail. They both waved, letting them know where the campsite was since it was a bit off trail.
Julia hopped up from the cooler with a surprising amount of energy and clapped her hands together.
"Ready to get the rest?" she asked Josh.
He nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. The two started to head back down the trail, passing their parents. Julia noted the one folding chair her mom was carrying.
"Gee mom, don't strain yourself," she teased before bounding merrily down the trail.
"Where do you get all this energy?" Josh asked his younger sister, trailing a few paces behind her.
"Hm? Oh, you know - I guess just these family trips always get me excited. Being out in nature, the smell of the campfire, no schoolwork to worry about."
They reached the car and gathered up what they could, knowing this would easily take at least one more trip. Again Julia skipped off towards the trail, her brother in tow.
"Hey Josh..." she prompted, breaking the silence.
"Hm?"
"Do you remember, that one summer, that mom and dad took us to Yellowstone?" she asked, turning around and walking backwards up the trail. Josh's eyes shot up from the ground to meet Julia's. He felt his heart skip a beat.
"Yeah, of course I remember..." he replied, a note of suspicion in his voice.
Julia continued as if he hadn't. "How I caught you jerking off with my panties in the tent?"
Josh looked back down, shuffling along the trail, trying to ignore his sister.
"And how I said I'd show you mine if you showed me yours? And how that night, we..."
Josh cut his sister off, "Yes! Yes! I remember! Of course I remember!" He stopped walking. "But I thought we agreed that we'd never speak of it again?"
Julia giggled at her brother's frustration and spun back around to continue walking.
"Yeah, we did, but - I dunno. Something about this place reminded me of it."
Josh could feel his face burning red with embarrassment, as if it wasn't hot enough out.
The two finished making their way to the campsite and completed the final trip down and up the trail in silence. When they got back, both tents were setup on opposite sides of the campsite.
"Gee dad, did you put the tents far enough apart?" Julia asked sarcastically.
"Hey, I was just doing it for you guys! Wouldn't want you guys hearing any 'strange noises' coming from mine and moms' tent" he said with a laugh.
"Jerry!" their mom called out, smacking his butt playfully.
