While M and I were on a hike a few weeks ago, it dawned on me that I've never been camping, even though I was in girl scouts at one point and I did stay in a log cabin and use an outhouse. By the end of our hike, M had me convinced that we should go camping--you know, complete with a tent, sleeping bag, and food necessities. I imagined gathering sticks for a fire, roasting marshmallows, and seeing shining stars at night.
A week ago, over beers, M and I got to talking about camping again. Only this time she shared with me what not to do. Years ago, she went camping for the first time with her sister and dad on a whim near some sand dunes. It was in the middle of summer, and ridiculously hot during the day, so they didn't plan the drastic drop in temperature, like you could just about see your breath freezing, when the sun set. Not to mention, they had sand coating every surface of their bodies and quite a bit in their ears. They had hot dogs and granola bars. They couldn't make a fire though, so they huddled under one blanket and shivered 'till they fell asleep. Needless to say, it was a couple years before they tried camping again.
Lessons learned: Bring extra, warm clothes to wear at night, plan on eating more than a granola bar, and don't camp by any sand dunes. Now all I have to do is find out where I put my sleeping bag.
Have you been camping? Any advice to share?
2 comments:
Wear tons of layers. You can always take a layer off if you get hot, but you can't add a layer if you don't have anything. Brrr.
Cheese and peanut butter are great proteins to add to the trip.
I've only been camping twice in my life lol they were a school trip. Warm jackets are definitely essential. Preferably hoodies. Also easy-packed foods, huge jug of water, anti mosquito lotion, socks, thick training pants, and wet tissue :)
Post a Comment