Camping...August 15, 2008

I went camping at Lee Canyon in the Toiyabe National Forest. It was my first camping experience and I loved it! I learned a lot about camping in the mountains.

Things you will need:

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A tent.
Plenty of food. It gets hungry in the mountains.
Pots and pans to cook. I don't know why but I thought you cook every thing on a stick. Ha!
Very warm jammies and about 7 or 8 very warm blankets. It gets cold at night in the mountains. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
Toilet tissue!!!
A couple of water jugs. Did you know you have to fetch water from down the road a piece? Did you know you have to heat water to wash dishes?
You will also need lanterns, flashlights, a stove, propane and many other things I never even knew existed…


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Things you will not need:

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That wonderful bubble bath you just bought.
Makeup, not even lipstick.
....Cologne.... or perfume.
Your new Skechers. Don't even think about wearing them.


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I also learned:

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How to put up a tent. I think I could do it myself.
A bag of potato chips will explode and scare you to death at 8,500 ft.
Bees like me. I am not so fond of them.
You don't throw food like peanuts and bread for the critters right behind the tent. (Hey, how was I supposed to know?)
It's fun to take a shower by flashlight. If the water is cold and you yell, "Oh my gosh this water is cold" several times someone (I don't know who) will yell back, "If you turn it all the way up it will get warm!" It will too.
There are no mirrors in a campsite.
You dress and undress IN the tent! What a feat that is.
You must be quiet after 10 pm. 10 PM! I'm just getting started at 10!
If you think you hear a snake, it's probably a squirrel. Stay IN the tent!
If you think you hear a squirrel it's probably a snake. Stay IN the tent!
If you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night you have to get OUT of the tent in spite of snakes or squirrels. What kind of contradiction is that?
For some reason still unknown to me, you get up early. Campers consider sleeping later than 7am lazy. I don't get it. They go camping to relax then get up at the crack of dawn when it's finally beginning to get warm enough to sleep!


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Other things I learned:

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Every thing you eat in the mountains tastes delicious.
When you say, "I am only going to eat one more marshmallow" you are probably wrong.
Mountain air smells very different from valley air.
It's very, very quiet at night. Do you know sound travels a long, long way in the mountains? Don't say anything you're not willing to share with the whole campground. Don't even whisper it.
You can put your tent right on the edge of the mountain and the view from the zip up window is unbelievable.
The stars from atop a mountain are amazing. It's hard to believe they burned out long ago.
This earth is a mighty big place and we are very small and inconsequential.



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