“It looks like a viking ship!” my husband said after we finally had set up our tent in the pouring rain.
Those days, we were young and flat broke. Our now grown kids were still toddlers back in our camping days. Hubby loved it. He was in the Infantry, so he was used to spending nights outside under the stars. Me…not so much.
What was supposed to be a nice, relaxing road trip, always turned into a logistical nightmare. Just packing and making sure you have everything you’d need was a huge undertaking. Then setup and breakdown at the tent site… Not relaxing!!!
The Worst Camping Day…or Just one of the Worst
For this particular trip, it was just hubby, me, and the twins. Our daughter was overseas visiting family for the summer. The goal was to spent a few days camping at a small campground at Raccoon Mountain near Chattanooga, TN. “It’ll be great!” hubby said.
The first challenge was packing everything into our car. We had a small (normal) tent already, but it was too small to sleep us all. So we rented a 4-person tent and a camping kit from our Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) store on post. The tent came in a humongous bag and took up most of the space in our trunk. Then, we still had to pack our clothes, cooler, food, folding chairs, sleeping bags… and the list goes on and on. Mind you, both our boys were still in car seats, so there goes that space.
When we arrived at our campsite, rain was pouring down with no end in sight. Of course, cell phones didn’t exist yet, so we had no way to check the radar. We didn’t want to get drenched, so we sat in our car, waiting for the worst of the storm to pass. It never slowed down. Eventually, we bit the bullet and set up our giant tent in the rain.
Of course, there were no instructions included in the kit on how to assemble this blue, thick-canvased monster. Only after about 3 or 4 collapses did we end up with a semi-sturdy shelter. When it was time to drive the stakes into the ground for added stability, we realized that we had nothing to hammer them in. Despite the rain, they wouldn’t go in more than an inch as they hit small rocks. So we searched the woodline and found a decent-sized rock that would do the job.
What seemed like hours later, I think it was cranky-toddlers-o’clock, we finally sat like wet dogs in our tent and stared out into the foggy mountain scenery. By foggy, I mean maybe 50 yards visibility at most. Oh, and did I mention our tent had a leak?
Later, when the rain stopped, we stood in front of our tents and laughed. Before us stood the most ridiculous camping structure ever built. It was made of event-tent style canvas. The color was tarp-blue, and the shape of it reminded us of a mighty sea-vessel with pointy sails. Hubby was right, like a viking ship… We stood out among our camping neighbors like a sore thumb.
Hubby let loose plenty of expletives directed at MWR back in Fort Stewart. Remember, he was in the Infantry, and although he tried to tame his language around the kids, it’s almost impossible to get the Infantry out of the man. Eventually, we accepted our fate, agreed this trip couldn’t get any worse, then decided to have a good time, no matter what. And the rain stopped.
Luckily, the rest of our adventure was more fun as we explored the local tourist sites. But this was just another example why I’ve never been a happy camper, although we did what we could afford back in the day to travel and see fun places.
I could go on about my camping woes like the time I was volunteering to be the chaperone for our female cadets for an overnight Civil Air Patrol training exercise. What was I thinking when I agreed to set up my tent just off the flightline of a small airfield? In Missouri. In November. In the middle of the National Forest. Where there are bears. Hubby was a Drill Sergeant and couldn’t go. He had sent me off with his warmest Army sleeping bag and hand warmers. ‘This will keep you warm. You’ll sleep like a baby,’ he had promised. Lies!!! I was up all night, freezing my butt off, and when I crawled out of my tent the next morning, everything was covered in frost. I was not happy. Although, I can laugh about it today.
The Good Part About Camping
I have to admit, it wasn’t all bad. We’ve created so many wonderful memories over the years. Every so often, we still talk about our little camping adventures, like exploring the woods with the kids in the dark with flashlights. Hubby would tell the story of crazy 3-toed Jake who lived in those woods and who came after children (he totally made that story up for added effect). It was great!
These days, when hubby wants to go camping, we have this understanding that he can camp and hike his heart out. With a couple buddies. Me? I just enjoy the peace and quiet at home and write my next novel. It’s a win-win situation for both of us. Everyone’s happy.
Fire Watch
Now you know why it was so easy for me to write Morgan’s point of view in Fire Watch (me snickering). She’d never been a fan of camping, either, but she’s a tough cookie and determined not to give up on the challenge she had agreed to..
In this story, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong. So if you haven’t read Fire Watch yet, you’re in for an adventure. If you enjoy clean small-town romances set in the great outdoors, you’ll love this fun and exciting wilderness romance.
Books of the Southern Storms Series
Click on each book to learn more about what exciting adventures await.
