Camping Stories

I have told many people of the primitive camping that Brad and I did when we first started dating (summer of 2010). Usually I tell the story by saying how I was trying to impress him by agreeing to the back-packing trip and didn't know what I was getting myself into. And then there was the unexpected rain storm that was hard to shelter from with just a single tarp over our heads. And how we laid awake most of the night hearing sounds in the woods, fearing that wolves or a bear would appear any second. Even though I've told the story a lot, I forgot I actually had pictures from the camp site...

This was in Vogel, about a month after we officially became a couple. Notice the firewood on the right side under the tarp; that was what we laid our heads on at night, as it rained. For some reason, which I still question to this day, Brad made me sleep on the outside...

It surprised me to find pictures from only a month later, primitive camping again (how he convinced me, I'm not sure...maybe I was still trying to impress him)! However, by our second camping trip, to the summit of Springer Mountain (the start point for South to North hikers on the Appalachian Trail), we were wise enough to bring two tarps, so one could be under us! Its funny because even though the night of our first trip is a sort of traumatic memory, the second trip was one of our best times primitive camping. It helped that it didn't rain at night and there were a lot more people around us on the trail. It was less wilderness than at Vogel.

Cleaning up the campsite the following morning, I was actually in a good mood. We were nestled in a cute alcove in the trees, one of many in the designated camping area near the summit.

I know I have some family members who would call me crazy for camping like this. We haven't done a trip like this in a long while but we've both been talking about getting a small, lightweight tent to prevent having to tarp-camp in the future. But they are fun memories (to laugh about). When you don't have money for high-tech gear, you do what you can with what you have, I guess!

On a final note, I wish we were anywhere as sunny and warm as we look in this picture... also from summer 2010.

.Rain, rain, go away...