Camping Crazy

When I was a child, my parents took us camping frequently during the summer. Being poor, camping was our vacation and I knew no other until I moved to NC when I turned 24. I stopped camping when I became an adult with the exception of one time with my then girlfriend (who now just happens to be my wife) back in 1994.

Last spring the guys at church decided to camp out on some land owned by one of the guys in-laws. "The Farm" as it is know, is used mostly for weekend getaways (it has a nice cabin on several acres of land) and is far enough out that you do not hear any traffic and there is no glare from city lights.

I enjoyed the time spent with the guys and it gave me the itch to go out again. I really enjoy the outdoors but my wife is not so fond of the idea. That first time while we were dating was enough for her. My friend PapaKilo had e-mailed me a few times about trying to get together for a weekend of camping but we could never get our schedules to mesh. However, in mid October we both had a free weekend so we planned a trip out. PK has a lot of gear so he told me only to concern myself with a sleeping bag and my personal food/toiletries and that he could provide the rest. So with that in mind, he packed up his truck with a good but of gear and we headed out to Eisenhower State Park, on the Texas-Oklahoma border on Lake Texhoma. I had a great time. The tent he brought was a little breezy for my tastes (I later learned that PK, and experienced camper, did not like it much either) but I managed nonetheless. My cheap Wal-Mart sleeping bag that I had owned for several years was warm enough for the 45 degree nights while sleeping in just my underwear and a tee-shirt. I had a couple of changes of clothing (long sleeves, spare socks, underwear, and jeans) as well as a jacket but not much of that was really needed.

PK and I spent a large part of that trip thinking about camping with less and possibly even backpacking in someplace to spend a few nights. The thought was appealing. While I like to camp, I am not one to take more than I really need, although I do like to be prepared. The thought of spending a couple of nights in a small, light tent in a sleeping bag with just a mess kit to cook/eat out of, a multi-tool, an axe, MRE's or dehy food really sounded like a lot of fun. It was then I began to start looking at "minimalist" camping and what I found was pretty incredible. I know that one can survive with very few supplies in the bush but the lengths minimalist campers go to is really amazing. I read of one guy who got his pack down to about 15 lbs, that included shelter and water. I had no plans to go that far, but it did give me ideas on how I could camp and take less.

The week before Christmas, PK and I, along with his 10 year old grandson decided to head back to ESP (Eisenhower State Park) for the weekend. The weather forecast was for clear skies (no rain) with highs in the mid 40's and lows in the low 30's. PK asked me to bring my tent this time (a cheap "5-6 man" tent from Target...which really sleeps three people comfortably) and he would provide the rest. PK packed a bit lighter this time to allow for his grandson's gear and a little more wood since the weather would be cold, but he still packed quite a bit of stuff.

Knowing my sleeping bag was not really rated for those cold temps, I went to Wal-mart and bought a fleece sleeping bag to use as a liner for mine. I was glad I did. That along with a foam pad and a self inflating (very thin) pad kept me mostly comfortable.

PK liked my tent with one exception. The zippers tend to get stuck in the weather guard over it. It caused a few issues getting in and out of the tent but all ended well.

We arrived after the sun was down so we had to set up camp in the dark. PK and I set up the tent while his grandson looked for tinder and kindling. Once the tent was set up, I started working on a fire while PK and his son unloaded the truck. It was not too long until we were able to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa by a roaring fire.

That trip went very well. We had MRE's for lunch one day and brats for lunch the next. For dinner we had steaks and campfire potatoes. Breakfast is almost always instant oatmeal and dried fruit with coffee. While camping, I like to keep my meals pretty simple, but if you are out with a group, having a large meal at night is very nice.

The only real issue that came up during that trip was at approx 3 AM the last morning we were there, an SUV pulled into the park (we were the only ones in this section) and started making a lot of noise. It was also at this time I had to go take a leak (I am not sure what it is with me and needing to take a leak at 3 AM every morning) and realized it was really cold. I had slept in thermal underwear bottoms and a long sleeve tee-shirt and was comfortable the first night, but at that moment I was cold! There were still embers in the fire pit so I got close to get warmer and then jumped back in the sleeping bag. When I finally got out of bed at 7:00 AM, I noticed that the entire camp was covered in a thick layer of frost. One of the water bottles we had left out had about .5 inches of ice on top. It obviously got below freezing. Later on I found out that it was 25 degrees at ESP that night.