When I heard the weather forecast, I most definitely was not planning to camp for the whole weekend. I had M.'s tent and N.'s sleeping bag - good to -15 degrees F - and I'd forked out the cash for my own thermarest (which is not actually called a sleeping pad, being too thick, but a camp bed; yes, I had taken mockery for the wimpiness of owning such a cushy pad), but I did not actually intend to stay anywhere cold and wet. I had nefarious plans, you see, to bolt back to the K.s' house at the first sign of rain.
Except that it was sunny, that first day, and there were water droplets raining down from the cliffs over the trail, and who can resist that? And then there was this awesome salad dressing/everything sauce, made of sesame oil and soy sauce, and who can resist that? And then it was late, and dark, and I had a sleeping bag good down to -15 degrees F and a 2.5 inch camp bed, so I climbed into my little tent and fell asleep.
In the morning, we climbed up to look down on the world like birds do, and then further up and in through the woods, until we came down again into a tourist attraction so busy that I felt dizzy, after the silence and the emptiness.
It was strange to camp so close to Gone West. At the end of each day, I wanted to suggest a pub or pizza place in Gone West, since that's what you do after a day of hiking in that area, when you live in Gone West, but instead we retreated to a strangely idyllic campground close to the city.
The K.s had made bets on whether I would last the weekend, and although I came home with a wet tent and sleeping bag, I did. I even slept in a tent by myself. This is a feat, since I fear the woods. Seriously. I am far more nervous in my parents' house with that backyard of trees (anything could be hiding in them! anything!) than in a house on almost any city street (exceptions, I know, blahblahblah. noted.).
Since I got home, wet sleeping bag and tent in tow, I have done nothing but run about frantically. So badly have I exhausted myself that today I fell asleep on the couch over lunch. I curled up facing the light from the window, set an alarm, and fell immediately and deeply asleep. When the alarm went off, I was slow and disoriented, and also far from recovered from my shorter and shorter nights of sleep.
Except that it was sunny, that first day, and there were water droplets raining down from the cliffs over the trail, and who can resist that? And then there was this awesome salad dressing/everything sauce, made of sesame oil and soy sauce, and who can resist that? And then it was late, and dark, and I had a sleeping bag good down to -15 degrees F and a 2.5 inch camp bed, so I climbed into my little tent and fell asleep.
In the morning, we climbed up to look down on the world like birds do, and then further up and in through the woods, until we came down again into a tourist attraction so busy that I felt dizzy, after the silence and the emptiness.
It was strange to camp so close to Gone West. At the end of each day, I wanted to suggest a pub or pizza place in Gone West, since that's what you do after a day of hiking in that area, when you live in Gone West, but instead we retreated to a strangely idyllic campground close to the city.
The K.s had made bets on whether I would last the weekend, and although I came home with a wet tent and sleeping bag, I did. I even slept in a tent by myself. This is a feat, since I fear the woods. Seriously. I am far more nervous in my parents' house with that backyard of trees (anything could be hiding in them! anything!) than in a house on almost any city street (exceptions, I know, blahblahblah. noted.).
Since I got home, wet sleeping bag and tent in tow, I have done nothing but run about frantically. So badly have I exhausted myself that today I fell asleep on the couch over lunch. I curled up facing the light from the window, set an alarm, and fell immediately and deeply asleep. When the alarm went off, I was slow and disoriented, and also far from recovered from my shorter and shorter nights of sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment