In Canada, this is the traditional May 24 Weekend… aka the beginning of (Canadian) Summer aka Cottage Season.
It’s really too damn early this year, but here it is.
In the past May Two Four meant for me it’s time for deep woods hiking or canoeing up north in Algonquin Park (which is about 300 kms north east ish of Toronto.)
The mistakes and issues we suffered were really the friends we made along the way…
If there were no bugs then it mean it was too damn cold. If there were bugs then it would get unseasonably hot.
Someone usually forgot something. One time I forgot my freeze dried camping food as well as someone else’s… ended up having to share eating spaghetti and Kielbasa sausage for the weekend. It turned out this better than the freeze dried food option we went with that year which gave everyone bad gas.
It meant finding out someone couldn’t read a map at a fork in the road. I didn’t hike an extra 12km that day because I forked left when I was supposed to fork left.
Turns out someone didn’t pick the group food wisely and I sat on a wood box with an upset stomach in the middle of a massive thunder and lightning storm. The only thing that stayed dry was the toilet paper (thankfully.) I didn’t find out till later that I wasn’t the only one suffering.
If you bring a moose caller and annoy people with it for hours then expect it to be thrown into the fire.
Don’t get drunk and vomit all over the only place we can fill our canteens.
I don’t get razzed for tripping and nearly breaking my ankle (twisted it severely) about 19km into the hike and then having to limp back to the parking lot for almost five hours. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot, the sky fell in and didn’t stop raining till we got home almost 3 hours later. Based on how the weather went, my stumble saved us a miserable cold weekend from hell.
Lastly, if you’re inviting your housemate along (not me) then he better not bring weed, smoke up and eat all his food in the first evening of a three day trip. Fortunately for us, he didn’t die as it turned out my nearly broken ankle saved that poor guy’s life (if not from hunger then from four pissed off guys stomping the crap out of him and the idiot who invited him.)
Rant about camping or whatever is on your mind (Open thread/threat!)
We are not a camping family. I am impressed with those who do it, but no thank you for me.
Between all the ticks and chiggers and mosquitoes? No thank you. Thank fuck we don’t have fire ants yet, but it’s only a matter of time with climate change.
The wives and GFs also passed. They enjoyed the stories of our misery especially the disaster trip where I twisted my ankle.
Yeah last time I did an all-day hike, of course I was on my period. As far as I’m concerned, if I want to try that again I’m waiting for menopause.
That’s cruel.
“Nature, red in tooth and claw” (and underwear), Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Why I’m gonna camp? I got a perfectly good bed and I already practically live in the woods. I can walk down to the creek and I’m on the Appalachian Trail. I’m too old for that sleeping on the ground shit. I do like to sing songs around a campfire though, but that’s what firepits are for.
That’s how I felt about the time they tried to sucker me into winter camping.
I got frostbite on my face and toes when I went with the Boy Scouts. I told my friends that if I had to winter camp again then at least let me join the Army. At least I’d get to shoot a gun at the end of all that…
It’s amazing what one can put up with when they’re young. I don’t mind hikes and rough trails. I do mind sleeping on a rock.
I enjoy and have done most every form of camping. Being free of a large percentage of life’s bullshit for a weekend is dandy with me.