I went airsofting the other day. Its been a long time, almost a year since the last time I airsofted. It had also been the first time I’de been in a group of people numbering more than 12 in a long time. It was outdoors, and since its airsoft we were spaced out a decent amount and I put up a neck gaiter when I was near other people.
Still though, I hadn’t really felt safe to do something like this until my parents had both been vaccinated. So, it was with trepidation that I drove down the sunny country road one spring Saturday.
The tires crackled as I drove slowly up the long gravel drive, after one of the hosts had directed me where to park. I pulled in and nervously stepped out of the car. Shook hands with one of my friends and said hello to a few people.
After stowing my bag in the four-wheeler and hitting the restroom, I began the long walk up the hill to the woods where we were going to play. There were about 12 people gathered around picknick tables and the empty fire ring. After a brief general greeting, I pulled my bag out of the bed of the four-wheeler and headed over to where a close friend of mine was set up at a picknick table. I pulled out my little camp stool, something that I had thrown in my bag as an after thought but will become an absolute must for games like this in the future. I then pulled out my gear and layed it out on the tarp I had set up.
Getting my gear on was easier said than done. I had only done a dry fit briefly at home before I made the drive, but since most of my gear is just cobbled together its kind of a shot in the dark whether or not it will work. The belt I had been using since childhood had finally broke so I had to improvise. I buttoned on a black denim jacket and buckled on my shoulder holster and fanny pack I was using as a belt. I had added a med kit and a radio pouch as well. I put on my gloves and my digital camo hat I had bought at an aviation museum and I was almost ready. After receiving a barrowed shotgun as my main weapon, I put on my mask and lined up to get picked. After the teams were put together, we were briefed on the game and sent out.
The shock of the first hit always takes me by surprise. Getting hit with a plastic pellet can hurt. Its not as bad as paintball, but it can definitely still hurt. I took my first hit in the knee as I was making an advance down the hill through the dried bushes. I had been held up behind a tree trying to take out a member of the opposite team who was covered by a fallen log, they got the drop on me first however.
Its near impossible staring through a scratched and semi fogged view plate, down a hill covered in undergrowth, to see someone in camo crouching behind a log.
Most of the rounds are a blur in my mind, in part because of the low visibility, but also just because many times in battle simulation games, you’re just sitting around or laying on the ground waiting for the enemy or for teammates to arrive. However, there are some moments that really stuck out to me.
The enemy was stationed across a large dip in the ground behind some massive trees. My team and I had made it into the dip but I had to dive for cover behind a log as shots started raining down around me. I heard the soft “clack, clack, clack” as the pellets slammed into the fallen trunk.
I popped my head up and exchanged a few shots but I would be forced back down after they started firing again. I had to face it, I was pinned down. I called for backup, but instead of waiting for my teammate to take them out I made the stupid call to hop up and make a break for it. I probably hadn’t made it five feet before I was hit. I sat there for a second before some one yelled at me to get my head down so I wasn’t blocking their line of fire, one of my teammates, Ironically. I lay there, counting out my death timer before getting up and beginning the long walk back to base to respawn.
I decided to join the other half of our team and make the push from the other end. I ended up cowering behind a tree taking shots at another friend of mine. I wasn’t getting anywhere however until my teammate, an experienced air softer, came up behind me. “don’t stand up.” He said, as he began to fire over my shoulder. After a few bursts from his semi-automatic rifle, I heard a short cry as he nailed my friend. I think I died a second time after that, but the fight didn’t last much longer, we had them in full retreat after that.
The other memorable part I want to relate, was when we were playing “storm the tower.” A friend had let me barrow his fully automatic rifle, which he had equipped with an actual shot gun scope. It was a ton of fun to use, and not just because of the scope, although, that made it so much easier to see what was going on in the field. Two of my team mates and I decided to take the creek to approach the tower. Apparently, most people don’t like to go trapesing around in the mud. I have no idea whats wrong with them. While our buddy was taking a longer route a close friend and I, I will call him “Ginja Ninja”, hopped in the creek and began sloshing/squelching our way down stream towards the tower base. The tower base was made up of an old backyard play structure and a few old doors and fallen trees. That play structure still holds terrifying memories for me since I was one of the lucky volunteers who was nearly killed getting it down the steep narrow trail and then down another steep narrow muddy hill, and onto the island in the middle of the creek. Actually, it was a lot of fun to hang out with everyone when we did it, but it was still incredibly dangerous. Anyways, I digress.
So Ginja Ninja and I were sloshing are way downstream when we come to a bend in the creek, suddenly when we rounded the bend, we come face to face with the tower. We waited a few seconds observing the situation before engaging. As soon as we opened fire though, we were forced back against the creek bed as hordes of pellets came streaming at us from several automatic rifles. Little geysers leaped up out of the water as the small projectiles shot passed us. My friend was hit a few times and I was hit once but eventually we managed to keep the pressure on them and finally, after Ginja Ninja had hopped up into a small depression where some concrete cylinders were laying, take them out.
Not all the adventure ended there, I ended up having to drive my mom’s 20 and a half-foot-long pick-up-truck backwards through a space that really only gave me about a foot of clearance on each side of the car, and that’s probably a generous estimate. A friend of mine also handed out some long over due gifts and he gave me a wire face mask for air soft! Its going to be such an improvement from the full-face mask I have currently.
It was a fun day and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was not the least experienced player there and I was able to hold my own just fine. In all honesty though, I really think I needed it. I was really nervous about going but it was just one of those things where I think God was giving me the nudge to do it anyways. It was nice to be able to see some of my friends again and I even got to talk to an old mentor of mine who is one of the home owners of the property we played on.
