Camping without adversity
Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 08:09 Written by Sean Wednesday, 23 September 2009 07:20
As Elise mentioned this was a relatively simple trip. A quick flat hike and some camping in a well established spot by a river. Piece of cake! And I suppose I'm happy to report that this time there were indeed no mishaps. No broken bones, sprains, not even a blister to report. The weather was pleasantly brisk, and the near freezing temperatures at night provided the only tiny bit of concern.
Elise is bragging about her relatively light overnight pack and all that. I however chose a different route. A short 3 mile hike to me screams, bring whatever you want, weight be damned. With this in mind I ended up with a pack that weighed in close to 50 lbs before beer and water. No matter, I've dragged more weight up a mountain. Despite forgetting to pull the bottom of my straps tight, 3 hours sleep not always leading to optimal mental function, the walk was fast and smooth. I arrived in camp with 2 lbs of my candy trail mix, a half dozen bagels that were superceded by the flapjack breakfast and a variety of camping food to try. Short easy trips are a good way to try out new gear and food.
And oh did I bring food. Several "delicious" freeze dried camping meals. The winner of best meal would have to go to the soupy mac and cheese. I followed the directions closely, but I still ended up with cheesy noodle soup. Oh well I drank the soup anyway, I paid for it! The runner up was "jamaican bbq chicken and rice." In my mind this conjured up thoughts of deliciously spiced jerk chicken. In reality, instant chicken noodle soup. Edibile but bland. The big loser, by a longshot was Beef Stroganoff. Full of chunky things that in the twilight I thought may have been peas, but in fact were either beef or mushrooms, this was disgusting. A salty viscous mess of dried beef and sauce reminiscent of medical waste. I drank this concotion as well. I needed the energy to stay warm through the night. At least it did that, as I didn't put on my long sleeve shirt until sleeping time.
The gear tests went better. My new hammock undercover/pad was a great success. I was able to forego a traditional sleeping pad and comfortably sleep in the freezing weather. No cold spots, no pad sliding pad, no reason to get out of the trees and sleep on the ground like a heathen. My other experiment involving a space blanket as an undercover for the wife's hammock worked equally well. She did have a sleeping pad as well, but is a much colder sleeper than I am. My new pocket chainsaw was magnificent. It cuts like the devil, but is quite a good workout. Only 1 gear mishap, I lost my firesteel.
It was also a great time for camp crafts. I brought along the magical vaseline/cotton ball firestarters and damn did they make things light up. I also ended up using my saw/knife to make a vampire stake/murder stick during the fireside downtime. It appears quite functional, though it has yet to be field tested. The biggest game at the campsite was Brak the chipmunk and the vampire population seems to have gone south for the winter.
I also saw U2 Monday. Free tickets and a great show. Bono is one short sweaty dude. They still put on a hell of a show and there was a great mix of old and new songs and I don't think anyone left dissapointed. A very large man fell on top of me twice before he gave up and found a seat or a rail to lean against. It was funny and I suffered no lasting injuries.It was a good night. The parking lot chaos and the drive home however led to me getting home at 3 am. That's just the price you pay I guess.
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