schlep
or schlepp, shlep, shlepp
[ shlep ]
Slang.
verb (used with object), schlepped, schlep·ping.
1) to carry; lug: to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.
verb (used without object), schlepped, schlep·ping.
2) to move slowly, awkwardly, or tediously: We schlepped from store to store all day.
noun
3) Also schlep·per. someone or something that is tedious, slow, or awkward; drag.
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Kevin’s
legs felt like they were filled with lead.
He could barely lift them, so his shoes scraped along the rocky dirt
path. Sweat soaked every bit of fabric
he wore and dripped down his face like a waterfall. He had difficulty keeping his eyes open
thanks to the sting of the salty liquid.
His water supply was nearly up, thanks to him foolishly squandering it early
in the trek. Now he was paying for it.
“Hey,
come on, keep up!”
And then
there was that. His annoyingly perky, chipper
girlfriend, Nicole. She was barely sweating
and looked only slightly winded.
“You
know…” Kevin gasped. His voice was weak,
thin, and each word was followed by a deep breath of air in a weak attempt to
fill his aching lungs. “If you really
wanted me to keep pace, you could carry some of this stuff.”
“Hey,
don’t blame me. You wanted to be the
big, strong man and carry the big pack.” She said with a smug look on her face.
“Not
with everything loaded onto it.” Kevin countered. “I thought you would at least take a sleeping
bag or something.”
She
stopped on the path and waited for him to catch up. He flopped onto the hard ground the moment he
was able to. He did not even care that a
rock was sticking into the back of his leg.
He was just glad to be rid of the weight of the overstuffed hiker’s backpack
he had regrettably chosen to carry.
“Oh, it
can’t be that bad, you big baby.” Nicole said.
“It
weighs almost as much as I do.”
It was
not as much of an exaggeration as he would have liked. With the tent, two sleeping bags, and enough
supplies for a three-day camping trip, it had to weigh at least a hundred
pounds. At least, it felt like it did.
“It does
not. It can’t be more than fifty or
sixty pounds.”
“You try
carrying that much uphill for a few miles in the hot sun and see how well you
do.”
“Okay,
fine, I will. Then we’ll see.”
It was
with an air of immense satisfaction that Kevin shrugged the heavy-duty straps
off his shoulders, allowing his sweat soaked back to receive a cooling
breeze. Nichole squatted down, slipped
the straps around her and stood. Then
she immediately fell over.
“Dear lord,
what is in his thing?” She cried after she managed to right herself and slip
the pack off.
“Everything
you said we’d need.”
“No
way. That can’t be that heavy.”
She
opened the pack and began taking inventory of what was inside. She did a few quick mental calculations and she
looked at his with apologetic embarrassment.
“Okay,
maybe I underestimated how much all that would weigh.” She said.
“Uh huh,
go on.”
“And
maybe I shouldn’t have loaded it all onto on pack.”
“And?”
Nicole
let out a long, dramatic sigh. “And
maybe I can take a few things for the rest of the trip.”
“After I
catch my breath?”
“Yes. After you catch your breath.”
With a
weak smile, Kevin went from sitting to laying down. He would deal with the rocks poking various
places later. For now, he was just glad
to know that his load would be a little bit lighter.
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I don't go on hikes very often. Not really my idea of a good time. But hey, if you like that sort of thing, more power to you.
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