over the next hill

I've always loved reading.  My favorite books were animal and adventure books.  These books fueled my imagination, and often when I was finished reading these kind of books I was inspired to create my own adventure.

My age limited my adventures, but not my imagination.  I've concocted quite a few outrageous adventures that I planned through hours of daydreaming.

I was always particularly fascinated but the story's of young characters that travelled on their own - over mountains, through forests - for days on end.  It was hard for me to imagine traveling for days over a mountain.  I could hardly imagine even getting lost.  

Sometimes I'd purposely try to get myself lost.  I would cut through our fields and into some small woods, I'd turn myself around a few times . . . but I always knew where I was. I would come across houses or roads I knew.  I lake or thick undergrowth would stop my progress.  And, my sense of direction was pretty solid.  

I tried building a small fire a couple of times.  That was cool, but I was nervous about getting in trouble for that.  I was going to cook a fish once.  But I felt really bad for the fish.  I had a winter glove on to take it off the hook (because I didn't actually want to touch the fish, we had bull fish in the creek and I was told they could sting you so I had it in my head that fish scales could cut you).  I couldn't get it off the hook and I went to a neighbor for help.  He took it off and I threw the fish back in the lake.  

The fish floated and I felt really bad.

The next time, I just cooked a hotdog.  But that didn't seem as authentic.