Finding Anchors in the Storm

Day 5: 0.0 miles / Total Miles: 2.41 / Days Left: 174

Eeeeeeeee. It is scout campout weelend!

And not glamping like our family loves.

I am talking, middle of nowhere, no cell reception, no electricity, very little running water, basic toilets.

Adirondacks with bunks and no mattresses. Or a cold, wet, Oregon ground.

We bought a 33ft travel trailer and went camping 10, maybe 11 times in it, in 1 year. And then I signed us up for scouts.

In scouts, there is no trailer camping. To say my husband was a little disappointed in me, is an understatement.

Eh, oh well.

For this campout, I was going to sleep in an Adirondack, with my husband and E. But then we decided that Timberwolves needed to sleep in their tents in Timberville. So in the tent with B I go!

And then we arrived. And it turns out the spot we were camping and very limited space for tents. So all the TWs got to sleep in an Adirondack.

Lucky them.

I could have slept in the one with my husband. But instead, I decided that no…I needed to sleep in a tent. I would sleep near the exit if the Timberwolf Adirondack so I could keep an ear on them.

And I needed the tent practice.

Growing up, I camped in a tent a handful of times. I never saw the glamour of it.

And I certainly never assembled one. Not by myself. And I definitely never helped anyone set up a tent.

So when we joined scouts, I was actually a little nervous. I found setting up a tent, nerve wrecking. A foreign language I could not wrap my mind around.

Figuring out where the poles go. Making sure the rain fly is on perfectly.

And dont forget about staking it all down.

Gotta make sure the tent pegs are at the right angle and in ground that is not too soft. And definitely on ground that is not too hard.

And finally, after expending 5 gazillion calories getting your shelter put together, it is time to climb into it.

Ok not climb. More like strategically fall into it.

Unless you have one of those tents you can stand up in.

Or are a 3ft tall kid.

But me? I am a plus sized, full body woman, with no flexibility, or muscle coordination.

So strategically fall in to it, it is.

While seriously hoping I did not set my tent up on a rock. Because I completely forgot to check.

Tent camping is complicated.

And then once your tent is up, and your finally nice and warm and cozy (and probably uncomfortable if you dont have a state of the art air mattress), you hope you did all the right things to make sure water does not collect inside your tent.

Been there. Done that. It is effing miserable.

My tent is the blue baby one in the middle.

This is the only tent we own.

We are poor. This was cheap. And a gift for B.

This is B’s tent. She needed one because the scouts her age, sleep in their own tents (or share tents with their friends that identify as the same gender).

I have dreams of owning something that I can stand upright in.

But for now, this one is light and easy to hook to my backpack.

My fellow scout friends offered to help me set this thing up. I was struggling something fierce.

I swear. The amount of sweat I sweated should amount to setting up a much, much, bigger tent. At least a 20 person tent.

But this is all I have to show for my 5 gallon bucket of sweat.

And 10 gallon bucket hat of curse words.

My husband stood there and watched me. I tried having him help. And he did his best to help me. But it was all wrong.

The tent pegs kept coming lose.

And the rain fly wouldn’t stay put.

Did you know you tie the rain fly to the main tent poles? And then voila! Problem solved!

I told my friends that I needed their moral support. This was another skill that I needed to learn. On my own.

I am so thankful they were there to help me. Without them I would have cried a little more. Ok, a lot more.

Because in 174 days, I will be putting up and taking down this tent 4 times, 4 days in a row, while, I assume, being completely exhausted.

And completely alone.

Well, my Helios will be with me. But I doubt he is going to be much help setting up a tent.