The Power of Music: How a 23-Year-Old Soundtrack Still Connects Us to Unforgettable Adventures

The Beginning of an Adventure

In the fall of 2001, I was a freshman in college at West Virginia University, and my roommate, Megan, and I decided to join some friends for a weekend of camping. Due to some scheduling conflict, we had to leave after the rest of the group and meet them later. Therein lies the start of our adventure.

If you have never camped in the mountains of West Virginia, let me paint a picture… it’s not your typical campground experience with a clear entrance, curated sites, and bathhouses. No, the directions are something like: “when you get off the interstate, drive until the third largest rock, turn right onto the tiny gravel road, then go until the fork in the road (which isn’t a fork, but rather a continuation of whatever thing you are on, or a slight turn onto a tiny dirt road that may or may not be wide enough for any vehicle), and bear left. Park when you find other cars parked.” Once you’ve successfully found the area to park, you'll leave your car with whatever gear you can carry and hike a mile or more deeper into the wilderness. That’s what this camping trip entailed.

A Wrong Turn... or Two

On a crisp, breathtaking Saturday morning in West Virginia, Megan and I embarked on our adventure. We made it out of town, up the interstate, and took the exit as instructed—no problem. But that’s when everything went wrong. We got lost… really lost. I don’t think we ever passed the rock we were supposed to turn after, or maybe we did, but it wasn’t as big as we expected, so we missed it.

We ended up in places we definitely shouldn’t have been—like trespassing on a farm. Once we realized it, the only option was to turn around right away, which, unfortunately, meant driving over a few crops. Whoops… sorry crops! Then we found ourselves on the side of a mountain, on what we thought was a road. As West Virginia girls born and raised, we were used to playing fast and loose with what a ‘road’ could be. But when this one became almost too narrow for my 1992 Pontiac 6000, with a mountain on our left and a sheer drop-off on our right, we had to admit—this was not the road we should be on. With no space to turn around, I had to slowly reverse all the way back down the mountain, with only inches to spare on either side. Miraculously, we made it down without a scratch.

No Signal, No Help

I'm sure you're wondering why we didn't call anyone… being the early 2000s, we both had cell phones, but that far out of city limits there was no cell service, not even "roaming" as we called it then. We were on our own. Truthfully, I have no idea how we actually found the exact spot in the mountains to park our car… but we did. When we pulled in, one of our friends was pacing the area, waiting for us, while another friend was perched on a rock nearby, head bowed, praying. They were also powerless to help us find our way, but we made it! A trip that should have taken about 30-45 minutes was closer to three and a half hours.

The Soundtrack to Survival

At the outset of our trip, we popped in the newer Avalon album Oxygen. That Avalon album was our constant companion for the entire ordeal. I think because we were so focused on trying to find our way, neither of us ever thought to change the soundtrack… so for three and a half hours, we listened to that album over and over again.

23 Years Later… the Music Lives On

TWENTY-THREE years later, every fall when the leaves start to change and the air is crisp, I listen to that album again and am immediately transported back to that day… I'm sitting in that car next to Megan, on the edge of having an absolute blast of an adventure or being in a truly dangerous situation… I can almost hear her nervous laugh. We still text each other when one of these songs pops up on our playlist.

The Power of Music

Isn't music incredible? It has the power to transport you back in time, making the past feel as vivid as yesterday. For me, it brings back memories of a special time in my life—of great friends, jumping off waterfalls, sitting around campfires, and living off Pop-Tarts and hotdogs (oh, to be 19 again!). More than that, it continues to keep me connected to a dear friend.

Looking Ahead

I have no doubt that in another 23 years, I will still smile thinking of this memory and laugh with Megan when we reminisce about our adventure in the mountains. All it will take is to play some music!