OK, so I figure, if I can't make my yearly trek to NYC, I'll go camping instead. I just really need to get away from the house for a few days before I start back at a real job.
Well! After three days of getting my camping gear together, I finally load up the car and head out in spite of the weekend thunderstorm warnings. I figure, what the heck? I'm not afraid of the rain. It's nice out today, and I have the tent and all kinds of entertainment to keep me happy if it starts raining. What I didn't count on was the freezing cold and the fucking SNOW! Yes, snow. In the middle of summer we had snow! Thank goodness I had already come to my senses and had my gear packed before the snow hit, but it was still a major downer that the trip ended so quickly, especially after it took me half a day to get my campsite cleaned up and livable.
Anyway (and this is where you may want to stop reading because it will be boring diary stuff...) Dispite the fact that I spent most of my time cleaning up the site, and setting up and tearing down my gear, it was still a fun trip. My first obstacle came when I was cleaning, I lifted an old log and there was a snake under it! Well, I couldn't let the little guy go and be worried that he would sneak up on me in my sleep or bite my butt when I sit by the fire, but I didn't want to kill him either. So I very gently stepped on him, not enough to hurt him, just enough to get him in a position to grab his neck. After about four tries (he was a slippery sucker) I finally got him! I took him across to the neighboring campsite and gave him a good fling, unfortunately, he landed in a tree! I must have thrown him pretty hard because he wasn't moving. I was afraid that I had killed him after all so I went over to investigate... Of course my fears were eased when the little SOB tried to bite me as I was picking him out of the tree! What graditude! Humph!
The rest of the set up went smoothly, I got a nice fire going and had a bite to eat, then headed to the lake to play with my new kayak. That was the best part and without it, I would have considered the entire trip a bust. I only had about an hour or so to play, but the lake is small enough that I got in a lot of scenery in that time. I wish I would have brought my camera with, but it's not waterproof, and I'm not that comfortable in the kayak yet. A funny part came when I hit a shallow area, I could see the bottom of the lake, which should have eased my fears of capsizing, but it didn't. I just knew that if I turned over there, I would get my feet stuck in that nasty muck! True, I may not drown, but I ask you, which is worse???
I made it back to shore and got the kayak strapped to the car just as it was starting to rain, which was a fortunate stroke. Went back to the campite, put a few more logs on the fire and snuggled into my tent. It was nice to just sit back and relax with my thoughts, listening to the rain hit the tent... Then shortly after dark, the rain let up and I was able to hang out by the fire for a couple of hours, that was fortunate too. What's camping without getting to enjoy a fire? Afterwards, I went back into the tent to sleep for the night, and that was when the Real thunderstorm hit!
Now, I'm not That wimpy, I can handle the thunderstorm because I figure the tent is protecting me from the rain, and if lightning hits, it'll hit the tent post before it hits me, but what I didn't count on was the high winds! As my tent was swaying and pitching all around me, I started worrying that I hadn't put the stakes in deep enough. If they came out, the whole thing would come down on me! But OK, even if that happened, I would still be inside and I had enough weight in the tent to keep myself from blowing away, but then I started thinking about the trees around me! What if there's a dead one close enough to fall on my tent??? It was hell I tell ya! One worry after another! And then the cold kicked in! Ten layers of clothes and two sleeping bags weren't even enough to keep me warm! However, all that extra clothing did provide some padding when my inflatable mattress when flat...
So that was how I spent my night, shivering in the cold, alone with my thoughts (which oddly enough, turned out to be a curse.) I was so happy when morning finally came so I could pack up my shit and get the hell out of there! Back to my nice warm cozy home and my nice hot 'cuzzy! Talk about being spoiled!
I can't wait till next week to try this again!
PS: Things to pack for next trip:
Outdoor extention cord (extra long)
Bottle of vinegar
Camp heater!
