The Camping trip

I always wonder why I only get to go on these once a year, and I think the reason is because of the people I go with. The idea behind me leaving the modern world behind is to get away from it and the people in it, the problem is I take people too far leaning on the crutch of the modern world.

I was impressed with my own abilities and knowledge out there, the hike was long and difficult but we made it to the campsite I had rented, during this I realized that it would have been far easier to be in a place where I could just walk  off trail or had there not even have been a trail and camped at the time I wanted rather than to rent a campsite.

The luxuries at the campsite were more than I expected, to the brochure a dugout toilet, apparently means to an out house, toilet paper supplied with a roof over it and a toilet seat. the wasps we had were just an outdoorsy option. I was prepared for the idea of digging my own latrine, had plenty of toilet paper of my own. Beyond that I do not think the dugout toilet was even used the female, my wife was afraid to even go in there for the wasps, she now has poison ivy in places.

I came out unscathed no poison ivy, oak, or sumac. I got a few mosquito bites I believe those little buddies got through my net I had around my hammock. which the hammock was a most pleasant way to camp, it was so fast to set up and even faster to take down. I need some better dry bags to store it in but it works well. the Eno system I have now works as it should.

For the other friend that came along with us we duplicated the Eno system buying parts and modifying them to work for the hammock, hobo hammock 19.99 bass-pro shop, two 7 foot tarps Walmart 9 dollars a piece( had to tie them together, and he didn't want to use trash-bags like I had first suggested), a bug-net from bass-pro shop 15 dollars ( it was made for a cot to go to the ground we modified it to hand and used Velcro to seal it together, it still needs some work), also bought some cheap straps to use, didn't really need them though because the lines on the hobo hammock were so long.

My wife, she had to have a tent. Tents are heavy and a pain, I made her learn how to set up the tent and take it down by herself, she also waterproofed the thing with spray from walmart, which is where the tent came from too 30 dollars.

both of there camping setups were cheaper than mine, but you could tell the differences, I think the only problem with the cheap solution was the bug-net, might have to buy a proper hammock bug-net for next time.

This was also the first camping trip I have even went on when it did not rain on me, during the entire hike the first day, I wanted it to rain just to cool me off, we drove through rain getting there, but the mountains  just pushed all that rain aside.

Camping trip

Well normally I do not post on Sunday's but I havent posted in a few days so I thought I would update a bit. Had a friend over for a bit. The wife,I and the friend are going camping tomorrow for three days out on a nature reserve. Trying my hardest to pack light. Packing light isn't an easy thing but I am going with my hammock and bug net, my friend is going the same way and my wife is taking a tent. I'll relay anything I learn from this experience and I will hopefully see some good sights and have a slight rest from my work. However I do know camping is still a lot of work.

Summer Fun/ Summer Heat

Seems every time I come in here to blog its about the freaking weather. I am not a weather man I swear, I just realize that the thing that effects our lives most of all is the weather, you would realize this a lot more if your car leaked I am sure. At the temp we are at right now in the south AC is a godsend if not needed completely I have been trying to avoid using it in my car but it is difficult. Where I live in the city ac is needed for a few reasons and those same reasons are why ac is needed in a car, one being no shade, in this apartment no trees cover it at all, when I lived out in that old lake house I loved, trees hundreds of years old dwarfed everything, and covering over the house and all the ground around me, shade over a home makes a big differences in how cool it gets.

Now about in your car, state highways rarely have shade, beyond that your car does not have curtains. simple?

In your house please be smart, close the curtains in the afternoon, during the hottest times of the day, letting the sun in kills any chance you have of cooling off the place, even if you are not using ac close the curtains, and let the wind blow the air in through them, or place a fan in the window.

beyond all this, carry water with you, this should be your side arm in this heat, dehydration sucks, if kills people every year, more and more younger adults want to drink sodas, and sugar drinks for thirst rather than water, there really should not be a substitution,  and if you are about taste, get over it, train your taste buds and body to just prepare for it, drink water, drink it hot, you never know when you might need the ability to do so, get your picky kids to do it too.

I know this from my own past experiences and my own past spoiled nature. I did not like just plain water. went on a long camping trip, two weeks, ended up in the hospital in the middle of it. My friends and I had all the supplies needed to survive out there, but our bodies were not prepared. your body is the most important thing remember to train yourself for anything.

I dislike thinking that is only June and this warm already, because this same camping trip, was eight years ago now, in the middle of June and I remember being cold at night outside, now it would only feel comfy, and miserable during the day, just like it was this last week when I went on a hike through those same woods. Still I plan on a camping trip later this month. I hope it will be cooler up on those mountains.

hiking randomly

Yesterday was a friends birthday, the wife made him a very interesting cake
Beyond that we bullshitted around at his house, but I was bored, I wanted to go do something, not wanting to force the birthday guy into doing anything really we went out to the cars, talked more and agreed to go get another friend, from there we, or should I say I just started driving, to the point where even my wife wondered where we were going, I drove up to the mountains. we walked through a little town first, then jumped on the blue-ridge parkway stopped at a few overlooks, then thought about driving out to linville falls.
We did not make it to linville but along the way there was a parking area and a set of trails, and my friends wanted to go hiking. this was at 6:30 or so at night, it would get dark soon, I pulled out the three flashlights I had, grabbed my Go bag, and my wife had hers, we went off up this trail.
My friends including the birthday boy were barefoot going up this trail since they were wearing flipflops out. I guess I should have warned them, I ended up going barefoot down the trail letting my wife have my shoes since her flats weren't working for her. I was the only one wearing proper shoes.

I had my camera, but did not get many pictures and they are all dark since there was no lighting. From this random trip for me I figured out I need one more flashlight between us, 4 people with three flashlights wasn't quite cutting it, also I should just keep my waders in my car so I can loan out other shoes I am wearing, or keep a pair for my wife in the car.
If I hadn't had to work today I could have and would have stayed up there, My friends were in the same frame of mind, my wife was the only one that wanted to leave.

it took us at slow speed an hour both ways on this trail, I forget the name of the trail but we parked at rough ridge parking, and hiked the shortest trail, if we had had more gear, IE proper shoes we could have done a longer one.

To end this night, I drove back down the mountain and took us all drinking, I still couldn't bring myself to drink, but they had fun.

I threw in a picture since ya cant see anyone really. They liked climbing though.