To celebrate my birthday, DH2U and I went camping. Well, not really camping, more like cabining. At a campground in our local mountains, they have these little one room cabins. They have electricity (and a much needed fan!), but no kitchen or running water or anything. They do advertise that they have wifi. Call me old school, but that just seemed wrong. A quick glance at my smart phone indicated that claim was false. It was great to turn off the electronics for a weekend.
I was all excited about my trip and told my mom that I was going camping! “Why?” While I am my mother’s daughter in many respects, this is definitely not one of them.
I love getting away from everything, being outside, hiking, and was so happy exploring the beautiful tree right behind our cabin!
It was a very hot weekend, and my plans for tons of hiking were melted away, but I had books. It was great to read with nature as a soundtrack.
As I was sitting on the porch, enjoying the shade, I thought back to the Sierra Club Wilderness Basics Course I took back in 2006. It ran from January to May, with weekly meetings and monthly camping trips. The emphasis was on safety, and much of my camping gear comes from that era.
Part of the safety was for ourselves and for the creatures of the wilderness. We had to bring only biodegradable soap (they checked!), and we buried where we dumped our cooking/washing up water so animals didn’t learn to become dependent on people. We also were taught to look for danger signs, be they meteorological, plants, injury, and animal. In my favorite class, they discussed the critters of the wild. The final animal discussed was billed as the one most likely to kill us:
Once I found out squirrels carry both rabies and the plague, I viewed their cuteness differently!
I was so glad that this trip did not involve boldering or sleeping on the one inch thick sleeping pad that I’d backpacked into nowhere. Even after a twelve mile hike, one inch of padding is not sufficient for a decent night sleep. I was reminded of this when our air mattress sprung a leak on the first night of this trip! Fortunately we were able to find the hole, and we were close to town so we could find a patch kit. It held for the night (glorious sleep!) … but came off with the sheets in the morning.
There was talk of a thunder storm while we were up there. I was looking forward to that. Unfortunately, we only got clouds, which meant that the astronomy lecture and telescope viewing was cancelled. So it goes.
Getting away from it all is so calming to me. It helps me gain clarity. And showering never feels as good as it does when you get home!
What activity helps you mentally regroup? or What activities do you enjoy that make your parents shake their head?
Grown Up, Now What? 