Just before Memorial weekend, my family and some friends went on a short camping trip at Table Rock, SC. All week before the trip, the forecast called for rain, and as the weekend approached, my excitement turned to dread. Our friends said "Don't worry, we have tarps and if it rains, it will still be fun." So with the fun-factor clarified, I dutifully packed everything necessary to live outside for the weekend and tried to look on the brighter side.
We arrived at the park near dusk, setup our smallish tent then began to cook our tinfoil wrapped dinner. After dinner we grouped around the campfire and toasted (burned) some marshmallows, and for 30 minutes or so it seemed that everything would be hunky dory.
As it began to sprinkle we folded our chairs and put them in the car to stay dry, then we made our way to our smallish tent with its queen size mattress, 2 adult sleeping bags, one pint size bag, and one largish damp dog.
At first the sound of tiny raindrops pitter-pattering against the tent was very soothing. It could be compared to an international coffee commercial, where little things like a crummy cup of coffee make you feel all warm and cozy inside. Personally, the rain lulling me to sleep is much better than sickly sweet coffee, but who am I? "I'm Johnny Cochran in a knit cap..." (I couldn't resist...)
As I tossed and turned again and again, I noticed that the raindrops seemed to be larger and falling at a much faster pace. Within minutes it had gone from a lite shower to a heavy downpour. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. Once while trying to find the evasive comfy spot, I bumped the side of the tent and with that I became preoccupied with how wet I was going to be if I did it again.
At some point during the night I had to go to the bathroom, but I ignored the urge for hours because If I didn't, that would mean I'd have to go out and risk getting soaked to the bone. At sunrise I felt damp (from the humidity, not pee...), uncomfortable and sleep-deprived, but the rain had slowed so I bolted toward the community bathroom, or maybe it was the woods... Anyway, while walking back toward the tent, I noticed that our friends were up and about and soon learned that they too had a bad night. While they had the comfort of a pop-up, it had sprung a leak and soaked their mattress.
After some hot coffee and a tasty breakfast we set about making a shelter with the "tarps" that our friends had mentioned. Our spirits lifted as the rain slowed then stopped and we took that as a sign to go on a short hike. While walking, we found a pavilion that boyscouts and other campers use on organized trips. The pavilion was locked, but it had a large veranda and we half joked about moving our tent / pop-up to the porch. As we strolled back to our camp, it started to rain again but thankfully, the deluge didn't inundate us until after we were under the sacred tarps that were sure to keep things fun.
It rained torrentially for the rest of the morning and spending the day under the tarps (or in our cars) was becoming inevitable. It was nearly impossible to keep ourselves, 3 small children and 1 largish dog from getting wet. Fortunately, our friends had a couple of portable heaters that helped to dry little socks and dog fur. As the kids colored we ate, drank and talked, but mostly we sat there and tried to keep our sense of humor.
It rained torrentially for the rest of the morning and spending the day under the tarps (or in our cars) was becoming inevitable. It was nearly impossible to keep ourselves, 3 small children and 1 largish dog from getting wet. Fortunately, our friends had a couple of portable heaters that helped to dry little socks and dog fur. As the kids colored we ate, drank and talked, but mostly we sat there and tried to keep our sense of humor.
The words "It will still be fun" echoed in my ears and I have to admit that constantly rearranging tarps to account for leaks and emptying the large pools of water that collected was a little entertaining, but mostly in that I'm so bored I could pick a scab sort of way. We were all starting to get a little edgy around 3:00 Pm and by 3:30 we decided to leave no matter what. Then as if on queue, the heavens parted and gave us one last dry spell to pack-up our possessions as quickly as possible.
While this trip won't go down as one of my most fun outdoor experiences, it was not a complete failure. Being trapped under a tarp for several hours lead to decent conversations, good eat'n and during one dry spell, I was able to entertain the kids by getting them to help me find acorns and pine cones to make this rain-drenched smiley.
2 comments:
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Interesting camping story, as my somewhat similar (but brief) camping horror story occurred with your brother (M), your brother-in-law (G) and his brother (Alberto). I went to visit them in San Antonio, and we then drove down to Corpus Christi to Padre Island. We kind of had a tent thing, and tried to sleep at the base of the dunes, but the sea mist collected on the tent, and over night it sagged, with everyone going to sleep in the car, but me. I stayed in the sea-sprayed tent, with ghost crabs trying to wedge themselves under the tent, and coyotes yipping at us from the top of the dunes.
G drove us back to San Antonio the next morning, and I was convinced I was not one to commune with nature. I like nature from behind glass (seeing it from the comfort of my AC'd living room window).
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