My sister and I went to Prince William Park yesterday for a nice, loooooong hike.

We got there before 9 a.m. and I headed into the Ranger's office to pay for the day's entry. The sign said that it didn't open until 9, but the door was unlocked, so I went in. Nobody was around, but I heard voices coming from downstairs. I called down there several times until I got their attention and they came upstairs to help me. They were surprised to see me and asked how I got in there. I told them that the door was open and they were pretty satisfied with that.

So, my sister and I commenced to hiking. We wandered around on some trails and got to the mid-park education center where there were restrooms and water fountains. There, like a beacon of light, was a vending machine. Soda or some other sugary drink sounded EXCELLENT. We rifled through our things but didn't have the change we needed. No problem, I thought to myself, I'll go and see if someone has change for a five dollar bill. There were offices adjacent to the vending machine so I opened the door and popped my head in to see if there was anyone there with change. I heard an ominous beeping noise and realized what would soon be coming. Stepping back outside the office and closing the door, I was unsurprised when the alarm went off. I went and told my sister that we had to stick around for the Rangers to get there since I was the one who set the alarm off.

A few minutes later, he arrived. I went up to the vehicle and explained how the door was unlocked and the alarm set. He wasn't too concerned about me opening the door to the office. I also asked him if he had change for a five. Nope. So, we refilled our water bottles at the water taps and headed out.

It was a great hike. All in all, we spent about three hours out on the trails. I need a better backpack and we definitely need to start carrying emergency supplies (like a small first aid kit) for those "just in cases". I'm definitely feeling lucky that they didn't decide I was a shifty individual. Otherwise, I have a feeling I might be locked up somewere un-plush.