We went camping this weekend. It was supposed to be beautiful, no rain in the forecast. Cool bike trail. River with a pretty beach…
We woke up in the middle of our first night out to rain pounding down on our tent and it never stopped. Luckily we had borrowed a canopy so we were able to cook and eat in relatively dry conditions.
Madison LOVED it. We’ve been watching reruns of “Out of the Wild” and she really wanted to go on a weeklong trek– living off the land (instead of a 3 day camping trip) so the cold and rain made it feel sort of like we were “surviving” — which, oddly, was TOTALLY COOL!
We were wet. We were cold. Our clothes were soaked from the rain (and flooded tent) but, thanks to about 5 neighboring campers, we got a roaring fire going and I tended that fire all day long! That fire WAS NOT going to go out (or we were done) because it was such a nice “moral booster”. There was a little store nearby and Wes made about 3 trips for more firewood. I think we could have paid for a nice hotel room for what we spent on firewood in one day.
This morning we woke up bright and early to brake camp in pouring rain and get the heck out of Dodge!
BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME!
We haven’t been camping in 10 years. Now I remember why we generally go for a cabin for our “Out of the Wild”-like adventures!
What awesome fun did you have this LONG holiday weekend? Hope you were warm and dry!
I grew up camping. I know what you were going through, but my dad was the ultimate camper with the Boy Scout philosophy of being prepared. We had Coleman cook stove, lanterns, enough food for 3 times as long as we were planned to stay. He knew how to keep the food safe from critters (great and small). I must say that jokingly, I told my husband that our wedding vows (40 yrs ago) included: “in sickness and health, richer or poorer & never camping!”! He agreed.
However, we did we did freeze ourselves at my nephew’s outdoor wedding this weekend and every bone in my body is hurting today.
It’s crazy how the cold can affect your body. Madison and I both had flu like symptoms for about 24 hours but are feeling better today. Hope you are feeling better today Beckie!
Such a fabulous memory making weekend, despite the rain and cold. That’s priceless.
It’s true. It’s a weekend we’ll probably always remember. We’ll probably laugh about it in a few years. 🙂
Oh, that so does not look like fun!! We have recently been hooked on Out of the Wild shows also, and I must say that the animal killing/dressing on the Alaska series is so gruesome, I know I wouldn’t last a day! Let alone be able to eat that stuff! Or in the jungle where they ate all the crazy larvae….just Ewwww.
We loved the Alaska series! Madison really wanted to live that experience (except bring our own food). That girl hates spiders and bugs and for the life of me I can’t figure out what the draw is for her but she is hooked! She loved our camping trip in the rain.
I love camping! Tent camping, boat camping, not enough rooms at the lake cabin so you sleep outside camping! I grew up in the PNW, so being outdoors has just been natural. HOWEVER, the older I get the more tired I get of packing and unpacking all that camping crap (and not to mention sleeping on air mattresses)! So I think we are finally breaking down and buying a trailer, so when it gets cold I don’t have to build a fire, but flip a switch to turn on the heater… I know some people say that isn’t camping, but isn’t camping the environment you chose to set it all up in? I do refuse to have any tv or electronic devices with us though when we camp! Glad you survived the weekend!
I think the worst part of camping is the end of the trip when you have to pack everything up and get home and unpack it. Let it dry out. Then pack it up again. I’m really pushing for a cabin from now on. LOL
Ok, that does NOT sound like my idea of fun! You are much more tolerant than I! (Hubby thinks I’m such a princess….)
I had a booth at a local market for the first time this weekend- it was so much fun! Except that Sunday was cold & windy, made for a really long day, but at least we didn’t have rain!
Wes did all the cooking and most of the packing so I didn’t have it too bad. All I had to do was survive the wet and cold. I think I tried my hardest– that’s what counts, right? LOL
I feel for you! We used to camp on the Oregon Coast every August. Out of the 10 years we went, we had one year that it poured for all five nights. By the last night, it started dripping on us inside the tent. Needless to say, it took a long time to get everything cleaned up after that year… But the good memories are there too! 🙂
Pam
We had our ground covering extended beyond our tent the first night so the water ran back under the tent and of course up through the “floor”. It’s been so long we don’t even remember HOW to camp right. LOL Our neighboring camper helped us rearrange everything so we stayed dry the next night but when everything is already wet and it’s wet outside so there’s no way to dry anything…it’s a losing battle which is why we high tailed it out of there bright and early the last morning. We were all determined to make it through the entire planned trip so when we woke up, we were all, “We made it. Now let’s get out of here!” LOL
Rain and thunderstorms are my favorite weather, I love camping, and to my mind, there is nothing more cozy than a tent with the raining pouring down. Preferably not leaking into the tent! You made precious memories.
Saturday was the baby shower for my granddaughter’s coming baby, she is due the end of November. It was lovely, but it took me all day yesterday to recover, I was TIRED!
Congratulations on your coming grand baby!
I too love rainy weather. I love to cozy up to the fire and read a good book while it drizzles or pours outside. I just like to be dry. LOL
You are such a trooper. I HATE camping. The only thing worse than camping is camping in the rain. A couple years ago, we went camping, and there was a torrential downpour in mid-evening. Everyone (we were camping with our best friends) retired to their separate tents, and commenced with going stir-crazy with small children in a very confined space for over an hour. It was the longest hour of my life! I literally thought I was losing my mind. I finally let out a silent scream, grabbed a flashlight (by then it was getting dark), and RAN away from camp. I had to get some air and sanity. Luckily the rain stopped a few short seconds after I took off. The rest of the trip was better, but just thinking about that rain storm makes my skin crawl and makes me want to scream. How many times have I been camping when it hasn’t rained all night? Exactly 0. May be why I don’t like camping?
What a visual! Andrea running full on away from the crowded tent in the pouring rain screaming and flailing her arms…(I added the last part because that is literally what I would have done.)
I think 10 years from now I’ll be too old to even try to muster enough enthusiasm for a night in a tent. We should just give it away now and save ourselves the trouble of hauling it around with us for the next decade!