WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE

Type Two Fun is Suffering For the Reward

January Six Word Photo Story Challenge: "Fun"

Loaded, sweaty and tired but happy.

We didn’t consider the sun beating down on us that day. We had two hard-working days behind us, but thought we were refreshed and rested after a good night’s sleep. We even commented on how light our packs were this time.

But not for long. The sun was out, and the pleasant part of the hike near the stream in the creek in the shade of the cooling forest soon ended. We reached the tree line and were suddenly out in the open. Unprotected from the beating sun.

We were sweating.

We were breathing hard.

We weren’t smiling at all.

And we were swearing maybe a little.

The trail was getting challenging. Parts were washed away, parts were overgrown, and on other stretches, we had to climb across fallen trees. And all of that while continuously climbing in altitude.

This is called type two kinda fun.

When you’re getting through the rough parts of an activity, and you don’t smile. But once you reach your goal or destination, you smile from within, looking back at the experience.

Because, after all, it was fun. Even if I didn’t smile (all the way).

And yes, spending the night in that hut in the southern Alps was a great experience. We played cards; I lay in the late afternoon sun on the grass and listened to birds and insects. Lots of fun to be had on the overnight hike.

This is a writing prompt response to Sandi Parsons’s “January Prompt”.

Read below other writers and their fun prompt responses:

kasey sparks with “Eking Out A Snowman”

Julia A. Keirns with “Confetti Fun”

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