Lake Degray Cold Weather Camping Adventure
10 March 2017
There is a quote that goes along the lines of the only difference between an adventure and an ordeal is attitude. I was dreading a weekend of lows in the upper 20s, rain and training and playing outside. I had clearly lost my adventure edge for a minute. My gear is mostly rated to a minimum of 20 degrees, because I have no interest is playing weather that cold. Stack rain on top of that and I was cranky about it. Fortunately, we had been studying for our Search and Rescue Technician II test for almost 2 months, so missing it wasn't an option.
What would I have missed? I would have missed a campfire that consistently stayed lit for 48 hours. We spent more time around that fire laughing, talking and sharing that I've spent in years. We smoked corn cob pipes, studied for our test and definitely distinguished ourselves as the team that wasn't going to hide inside from the cold. The most telling moment of the weekend was when one of our team leaders broke out some modern MREs. We made our choices, sorted through the directions and got to "cooking." In the middle of this, steady, big rain drops started to descend. No one made a move for cover. We sat around that fire, and had a grand old time testing and sharing the different contents of our MREs and it was fine and wonderful. (I made backup campside tacos later, but this is neither here nor there.)
The point of all of this is, I loved the battle rhythm of the weekend. It was too cold to shower, too cold to care. We had fire, we had fellowship and we rocked our testing. I am so thankful for the chance to remind myself to buck up and enjoy the adventures that present themselves.
There is a quote that goes along the lines of the only difference between an adventure and an ordeal is attitude. I was dreading a weekend of lows in the upper 20s, rain and training and playing outside. I had clearly lost my adventure edge for a minute. My gear is mostly rated to a minimum of 20 degrees, because I have no interest is playing weather that cold. Stack rain on top of that and I was cranky about it. Fortunately, we had been studying for our Search and Rescue Technician II test for almost 2 months, so missing it wasn't an option.
What would I have missed? I would have missed a campfire that consistently stayed lit for 48 hours. We spent more time around that fire laughing, talking and sharing that I've spent in years. We smoked corn cob pipes, studied for our test and definitely distinguished ourselves as the team that wasn't going to hide inside from the cold. The most telling moment of the weekend was when one of our team leaders broke out some modern MREs. We made our choices, sorted through the directions and got to "cooking." In the middle of this, steady, big rain drops started to descend. No one made a move for cover. We sat around that fire, and had a grand old time testing and sharing the different contents of our MREs and it was fine and wonderful. (I made backup campside tacos later, but this is neither here nor there.)
The point of all of this is, I loved the battle rhythm of the weekend. It was too cold to shower, too cold to care. We had fire, we had fellowship and we rocked our testing. I am so thankful for the chance to remind myself to buck up and enjoy the adventures that present themselves.
Home sweet basecamp.
A few points on this photo, a two man tent is really made for one human and their gear. This was a sweet setup for the weekend. Note the air mattress, waterproof duffle and camp pillow. It was a happy little abode. I haven't slept on a tent pad in a long time. When we arrived Friday night, I stepped into the woods to pick my spot. It looked like the floor of the forest was covered with diamonds, diamonds that seemed to move and blink. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the spider kingdom out there. My headlamp was illuminating their eyes. While beautiful and intriguing, it was the shear number that I found uncomfortable....to the tent pad!
Eno party lights made any home cozy.
The eternal fire. This was a big psychological win.
Bucket # 3. I think I loved it the most. We were doing our land navigation test. This involved getting coordinates, plotting them on a map and then navigating to them in a specific sequence. I was delirious by bucket #3 and had a fairly in depth conversation with it as if it were an old friend.
GET OUT THERE AND ADVENTURE!
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