I had to write a narrative for English and I got carried away and wrote a seven page 3,314 word short story.  Whoops.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Here it is:

The Adventure of a Lifetime

Zeke had always found peace and solace in the forest. The calm air and the crackling of branches under his feet that gave him a sense of calm that the town of Silverbreeze couldn't provide. The warm springtime sun beat down from in between the leaves of the mossy green trees. This was his favorite time of year- a few days off of school for Easter and a time to go backpacking with his friends.

It had taken him weeks of begging his parents to let him go by himself with only Sydney and Wyn. Finally, after a solid month of groveling and doing all of his chores without complaint, his parents allowed him to go backpacking for three days. He had done it before with his family, and now he was on his own. He grinned as he shouldered his backpack and hiked on.

"Wow. This is amazing." Sydney said as she looked around at the spectacular view of Yosemite National Park. The valley floor was lush and displayed everything green. There was trees and plants of all shapes and sizes. In addition, there was flowers- bright red and in patches. Zeke had to admit: the valley was really beautiful. The trio passed by a slightly worn brown sign by the trail head. A family of five was taking a picture by it.

"We should take a picture." Wyn suggested while he pushed his black hair out of his eyes. He pulled out his camera and looked at the others.

"Sure. Why not? We can show it to my parents and all." Sydney, being an extrovert, went to the family and asked if they could take their photo.

"I'd be happy to." The man had said. Sydney, Zeke, and Wyn stood by the sign and gave a million-dollar smile. The man took a few pictures then gave the camera back. Wyn pocketed it while thanking the man. He nodded and continued on the hike.

"Looks like we have about eight miles to go." Zeke said with a smile. They were going to climb Half Dome. The half mountain that overlooked Yosemite was grand and stood over thousands of years. Wyn smirked.

"Let's go." And so the trio walked up the long, steep trails. Their backpack felt as if they got heavier and heavier with each step they took. The hike became more and more strenuous as the trail became dirt with multiple switchbacks; it took them a good two hours to get to Nevada Falls. It was a well known sight and was bulging with tourists. The water was rushing due to the heavy rainfall in late March and the air became chilly due to the elevation. There were few trees, but they were still a vibrant green. A wooden bridge lay over the water, allowing people to cross.

The trio was out of breath by the time they reached their destination. Pulling out some energy bars, they sat on the sun-warmed granite of the waterfall. It was yet another spectacular view. The valley, the clear blue skies, and the mountains in the background. Sydney had her back against a rock relaxing in the shade with her copper colored hair in a ponytail. Wyn was filling up his water bottle while Zeke viewed environment. A few chipmunks were scampering around in the vicinity, and hikers had to make sure that they didn't chew through their backpacks.

It was almost two o'clock by the time the group started off towards base camp. It was a short hike- about a mile. For now, it was smooth sailing. The path was made of dirt and the trail was wide and flat. The sun was high in the sky and they were nearly there. Zeke froze when he heard a rustle in the nearby trees. They were in the middle of dense wilderness. Anything could be out there.

"Don't move." He said in a quiet voice. Another rustle. A big black bear came sinking onto the path. Sydney gasped while the boys remained still.

"Don't move." Zeke said again. "If the bear attacks, drop your packs- it wants the food- and slowly walk away. If you run, it will see you as a threat." Wyn and Sydney nodded numbly. They had had little experience with what to do if you saw a bear. Sure, they had been camping and gone hiking many times, but they had never seen a bear this near to them.

Zeke took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and started to yell.

"Go! Get away! Back. Move back." The bear looked at him with big, scared eyes and darted into the forest. They waited for a minute in complete and utter stillness. The bear was gone. They were safe.

"That was- That was- wow." Sydney said, her voice a bit shaky.

"Good thing you know what to do, man." Wyn commented.

It was a good thing, Zeke was glad that his dad had told him to do in different situations. They hiked the rest of the trip in silence.

The base camp was not what Zeke had expected. It was an area that took up about a half mile surrounded by trees. Bright tents stood out starkly from the darkness of the woods.

"Should we pitch the tent here?" He asked the others.

"Nah, there are a lot of rocks on the ground. It would be uncomfortable to sleep on." Wyn pointed out. They kept on looking.

Finally, they located a suitable campsite that sufficed their needs. It was at the corner of the campsite lot and right next to the trail that led to Half Dome. A large, dead tree lay across the dirt as a border between civilization and wilderness. Sydney pulled the tent from her backpack, having to move her clothes to get to it. Wyn was unpacking the freeze-dried food while Zeke cleared the floor for the tent. There were a few small stones and twigs that he had to move so that they would be comfortable while they slept.

As soon as Sydney got the tent out, the trio set to work. They put the tarp on first and connected all of the poles. After that, they put the poles through the loops of the tent. Within a half hour, they had finished putting the tent up and watched in satisfaction at their handy job. The orange tarp had a sense of welcoming to the tired backpackers. But, they couldn't rest yet. They still had to get water.

The base camp didn't have water faucets or any type of clean running water. So, Sydney and Zeke went to the river to filter some water. It was a short hike, and, before they knew it, they were standing in front of a gushing river. A few people were here and there, collecting water from filters or in bathing suits. Zeke dipped the water filter into the water and pumped it, cleansing the water. They filled up their five water bottles and a gallon container. Sydney looked at the people in bathing suits.

"The water seems a bit cold to be swimming in. Plus, there are mosquitoes." She said while slapping one off her arm. She was right- they came in huge swarms, buzzing in your ears. Zeke groaned in realization. They had only brought a little bit of bug spray. He swatted another fiend out of the air. The buzzing was okay, but the bites itched and where annoying.

"So. . . Should we go back to camp?" Zeke's arm as tired from pumping the filter many times. He shaked it in hope of getting rid of the soreness.

"Yeah." Sydney replied. It was nearly dinner time and they were both hungry. They struggled to carry the water back to camp, but they did it. Wyn was waiting for them. Unfortunately, they couldn't have a good old campfire at basecamp. It was too dangerous. They did, however, had one in the middle of all the camps for everyone to get warm by.

"Thank God. I was starting to get hungry." He took the gallon container of water from Zeke and put it on a lightweight portable stove. The small fire burned brightly as the water started to boil. As soon as it was ready, Wyn carefully poured it into two freeze-dried lasagna containers. Within ten minutes, it was ready to be eaten. Their mouth watered as the aroma of pasta drifted into their vicinity. Pulling out their bowls and utensils, they began to scarf down the food.

"I swear, I could live of this." Wyn said through a mouthful of lasagna. Both Sydney and Zeke nodded in agreement. Though it tasted like ambrosia- the food of the gods- it was gone soon. They washed their bowls in the water when they finished and put them in the bear box. Before they knew it, it was dusk. The trees were silhouetted by the brilliant sunset.

"You guys ready for tomorrow?" Wyn said.

"As ready as I'll ever be." They sat quietly by the fire. After an hour or two, they walked back drearily to their tent, and without a word to each other, fell asleep.

Zeke awoke to the chirping of birds and the chilly mountain air. Groaning, he sat up and blinked rapidly due to the bright morning sunlight. He was wrapped in his sleeping bag, somehow getting tangled in the middle of the night. One thing that Zeke liked about camping was how you would always wake up early, no matter how much sleep you got the night before. He was jerked out of his thoughts by Wyn stirring in his sleep. Soon, after Sydney was awake too. Her hair was a mess, looking like a halo on her head.

Wyn was the first one out of the tent, pulling on his sneakers. As soon as everyone was dressed in suitable hiking gear, they made breakfast. It was a simple meal- oatmeal.

"So," Zeke said, trying to start up a conversation. "This is the big day. The moment we have all been waiting for. The-"

"Climax of our lives?" Sydney offered.

"Yes, that too. We should leave in an hour, so we have time for the hike ahead of us." The others nodded in agreement. By 9:00, they were ready to go. They had packed a few energy bars, water bottles, first aid kit, and some warm clothes. Shouldering their backpacks (though they were considerably lighter and smaller), they walked up to the trailhead. It was steep, though it wasn't as steep as the trail that brought them to base camp. The road was made of dirt.

Only half an hour into the hike, they were already out of breath.

"This. . . is way. . . harder than I. . . thought it would be." Sydney said while she struggled to breath at a normal pace.

"Agreed." the boys said at the same time.

"Alright. How about we have a little break and then we start up again." Wyn suggested. The others nodded in agreement, catching their breath. While they were sitting on the side of the trail, a group passed them.

"C'mon. If they can do this," Sydney said while pointing to the passing group. "We can too." They pulled themselves up and continued walking the trail, dust billowing at their feet.

"Wow." Wyn said as he looked up at the gigantic mountain. After an hour and a half of hiking, three breaks, and seven energy bars, they had finally reached their destination. The mountain stood tall and proud, with the sun peaking over the top. The cables were steep. Steeper than they had thought it would be. The bouldering had been easy, but this looked near impossible.

"Well, shall we get our gear out?" Zeke asked, trying to calm his nerves. He was scared of heights, more than he would like to admit. The trio pulled out their harnesses and gloves.

"What are the gloves for again?" Wyn asked.

"It's so that our hands don't get cut from the cables. They kinda chew up your hands." Sydney replied with a smirk. She threw a pair of bright pink gloves at Zeke's face. He caught them and looked at them with muted horror.

"I'm not wearing those! It's for girls." He said. Wyn snickered while Zeke glared back. Sydney raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you want your hands to get scraped. . ."

"Fine! Fine, I'll wear them." Zeke tucked the gloves into his pockets and muttered some choice words about his two friends. Sydney and Wyn just laughed harder as passerby looked at them strangely.

As soon as they calmed down, Wyn, Sydney, and Zeke put on their harnesses. Tightening the straps, they clipped their carabiners onto the side of their harnesses.

"We'll have to bring our bags. Otherwise, the ground squirrels will chew through them. Then we'll have no backpacks." It was a good point, so they shouldered their backpacks, too. They put on their gloves and started at the base of the cable.

The first few steps were hard, because they weren't used to the steep slope. With each cable, they clipped in their carabiners in case they fell. Zeke's hands were sweaty under his gloves, making it harder that usual to get clipped in. He almost fell once or twice, but he caught himself just in time. Both Sydney and Zeke were behind him; they would make sure he didn't fall. Zeke too a deep breath. One step at a time.

Sydney's coppery hair blew in the morning wind as she tried, in vain, to tie it up. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she glanced at the steep fall down. It was about an 4,800 feet fall, fatal if you slipped.

"So, how's it going up there?" Wyn called up to Zeke and Sydney. They were each a few feet apart, leaving room in case they fell.

"Fine. You?" Zeke yelled back.

"Meh. I'm not one for heights.

"Same." Zeke said.

"Wimps" Sydney teased, though she was grinning in a good natured way.

"Easy for you to say. You're crazy." In reply, Sydney punched him in the shoulder. She may have meant it to be soft, but it still hurt a bit.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem." Wyn snickered watching them. This silly argument went on for a few more minutes, while they continued to climb.

The motion of clipping in the cables almost became a second nature to Zeke. Unclip, clip, take a few steps, unclip, clip, unclip, clip. Before he knew it, he ran out of cables to clip to. His hand hovered in the air as he processed this. He was at the top. He had climbed Half Dome! Zeke quickly moved out of the way to let his friends through. They slowly walked to the center of the rocky area.

The view was grand. Yosemite Valley was covered in green from the trees, and parked vehicles could just be seen reflecting the sun. The surrounding mountains were huge- it looked as if they were miles long. Zeke felt like he was on top of the world. It sure did look that way.

"I am literally lost of words." Wyn said, his mouth open at the beauty of the view. Sydney nodded in agreement. The top of the mountain was surprisingly flat, you could fit a house on the peak. Zeke turned to the others, waving his hands in front of their faces. They laughed, and grabbed his hands.

"Alright, alright. Let me go." With a laugh, Sydney and Wyn let go of his hands.

"So, now that we have climbed the majestic Half-Dome, we can brag to everyone."

"Ha."

The trio stayed on on the peak of the mountain, enjoying the view and basking in the sun. Before they knew it, it was getting dark. Zeke looked up in confusion. It was only 2:49. Looking up at the sky, he noticed something wrong. There were grey, angry clouds above them.

"Crap." He said, while putting on his windbreaker. They had fallen asleep. How could they have been so stupid? "Wyn! Sydney! Wake up! We have to go back to camp before lightning comes."

"Wh-?" Sydney said while rubbing the sleep from her eyes behind her glasses. She broke off when she spotted the rain clouds. "Crap!"

They moved to wake up Wyn. He blinked at them in confusion before they explained anything. In less than five minutes, they had their harnesses on and were on the top of the cables. It was starting to sprinkle.

"We have to get down before the granite gets too slippery. Otherwise, we'll fall." Sensing the urgency in the situation, Wyn didn't make any dumb comments. Zeke felt adrenaline rush through his veins like a dam letting out water. What if they didn't get back to camp in time? Thunder boomed in the distance. Thirty seconds later, lightning followed, lighting up the valley below. Now, they were a halfway to the bottom of the cables. Unclip, clip, unclip, clip, step, step, step. The movements became a rhythm, almost as fast as the beating of their hearts.

The granite began to get soaked with rain. It was becoming harder and harder to maintain their balance. Sydney was behind him, and out of the corner of his eye, Zeke saw her slip.

"Ahh!" She fell to the end of the cable post; she had been saved by the carabiners. By the time she got back up, the rain had gotten heavier. Still, they continued on. Halfway there. They could make it. . .

"Almost there. We got this." Zeke muttered. Bam! Thunder rumbled across the sky. One-fourth of the cables left. The granite was slick and they slipped with every step. The valley was flooded with light yet again as lightning cracked. Clip, unclip, clip, unclip, step, step, step. With each repetition they got closer and closer to safety but, with each step, the thunder grew louder and louder. BAM! Thunder boomed again.

Their feet hit the flat ground. Halfway of the mountain. Not even bothering to catch their breath, the trio raced down the stone steep bouldering steps. It was a switchback, though it wasn't that long. Zeke was taking the steps two at a time. The rain grew harder. Thunder roared. Though they stumbled, they managed to keep their balance. Within minutes, they were at the dirt trail.

"Okay. . .we can slow. . . down now." Sydney said while out of breath. They had made it down the mountains in a half hour, due to the rain. Zeke and Wyn nodded and set to a walking pace.

It was 4:37 when they finally got back to base camp. They were even more tired than they had been the day before, if that was even possible.

The rain was still falling heavily and they were soaked. Not to mention that their backpacks were wet. As soon as they got to camp, they ate dinner (rice and chicken with some top ramen). It took longer to cook in the rain.

"I think that we should go to bed now. I'm dead." Wyn said as he stepped into the tent.

"I second the emotion." Sydney said while raising her arm as if she were voting. They all went into the tent with warm clothes and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Thoughts drifting away from the adventure that they had just had.

The trio got back to Yosemite Valley at noon the next day. Though they were tired, they felt accomplished.

"I feel fabulous." Wyn said while they were riding the bus back to Visitor's Center.

"That was an adventure." Sydney remarked.

Zeke smiled. "Nah, that was the adventure of a lifetime." They all laughed, remembering the great adventure that they had just took part in.