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jazzfishSo, camping. First time in six years, second time since moving to Vancouver in 2011.
I've missed this, is my main takeaway. I've missed trees and water and cool morning air, tea and oatmeal outdoors for breakfast and sitting by a fire late into the night. I've missed being surrounded by green, I think. Pac-NW green is quite a bit different from Appalachia but the sense is the same.
My thirty-year-old backpacking stove has sadly given up the ghost: the plastic pump assembly has sheared in a way that's non-trivial to repair. Doesn't look like anyone is selling pump assemblies for stoves that were finicky and outdated thirty years ago, either. I'll need to get a replacement stove before the next time.
And in the chaos of packing the car and departing we managed to leave the sleeping bag behind. Thankfully a campground full of car-camping pagans is well equipped with cloaks and things, and Erin was able to scrounge up enough bedding to keep us from freezing. Honestly, as things to forget go the sleeping bag was likely the least problematic. The tent and air mattress worked great (the shock-cords in the tentpoles are no longer elastic, which is annoying but not terminal), and we had a sufficiency of food and flashlights.
Spent a bit more time talking with a range of people I'd met once or twice in passing, which was lovely. It wasn't the auto-click I get on rare occasions (most recently Fourth Street) but it was still quite good. Saturday was basically a perfect temperature for camping under trees, which meant it wasn't quite as warm as I would have liked for going into the river. Not that that stopped me.
I had Experiences and Conversations and much of those defy easy description. I brought a lovely spiced mead to share. Everyone who tasted it got wide-eyed and said "This is GREAT!" which was rather gratifying.
The fires are certainly still A Thing; on Sunday morning the sun was a dull angry red from the smoke.
One of the things I love about camping is the way it rewards minimalism and having the right tools. (Where "right" is of course highly subjective.) For instance, I'd forgotten that ages ago I'd bought a silicone bowl and cup, which are the perfect camping dishes: lightweight-ish, multipurpose, easy to pack and easy to clean. Or my "chair" which is two pads held together by straps and reinforced with metal struts: cushioning and back support, in a flat package. No legs, so one has to be comfortable with sitting on the ground, but that's never been a problem for me. It's just so great to have everything I need in a small package right there. Makes me feel secure and comfortable.
There's not really enough room in the apartment to properly dry out the tent etc, but it didn't rain so just hanging it loosely seems to have done the trick.
Erin's staying a couple of days with Sherry who does pottery. She's then coming back up on Wednesday to hang out here for a couple of days before we drive north. I'm looking forward to that as well.
I've missed this, is my main takeaway. I've missed trees and water and cool morning air, tea and oatmeal outdoors for breakfast and sitting by a fire late into the night. I've missed being surrounded by green, I think. Pac-NW green is quite a bit different from Appalachia but the sense is the same.
My thirty-year-old backpacking stove has sadly given up the ghost: the plastic pump assembly has sheared in a way that's non-trivial to repair. Doesn't look like anyone is selling pump assemblies for stoves that were finicky and outdated thirty years ago, either. I'll need to get a replacement stove before the next time.
And in the chaos of packing the car and departing we managed to leave the sleeping bag behind. Thankfully a campground full of car-camping pagans is well equipped with cloaks and things, and Erin was able to scrounge up enough bedding to keep us from freezing. Honestly, as things to forget go the sleeping bag was likely the least problematic. The tent and air mattress worked great (the shock-cords in the tentpoles are no longer elastic, which is annoying but not terminal), and we had a sufficiency of food and flashlights.
Spent a bit more time talking with a range of people I'd met once or twice in passing, which was lovely. It wasn't the auto-click I get on rare occasions (most recently Fourth Street) but it was still quite good. Saturday was basically a perfect temperature for camping under trees, which meant it wasn't quite as warm as I would have liked for going into the river. Not that that stopped me.
I had Experiences and Conversations and much of those defy easy description. I brought a lovely spiced mead to share. Everyone who tasted it got wide-eyed and said "This is GREAT!" which was rather gratifying.
The fires are certainly still A Thing; on Sunday morning the sun was a dull angry red from the smoke.
One of the things I love about camping is the way it rewards minimalism and having the right tools. (Where "right" is of course highly subjective.) For instance, I'd forgotten that ages ago I'd bought a silicone bowl and cup, which are the perfect camping dishes: lightweight-ish, multipurpose, easy to pack and easy to clean. Or my "chair" which is two pads held together by straps and reinforced with metal struts: cushioning and back support, in a flat package. No legs, so one has to be comfortable with sitting on the ground, but that's never been a problem for me. It's just so great to have everything I need in a small package right there. Makes me feel secure and comfortable.
There's not really enough room in the apartment to properly dry out the tent etc, but it didn't rain so just hanging it loosely seems to have done the trick.
Erin's staying a couple of days with Sherry who does pottery. She's then coming back up on Wednesday to hang out here for a couple of days before we drive north. I'm looking forward to that as well.
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Date: 2023-08-22 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-23 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-24 01:42 am (UTC)