The first time I camped under canvas was way back in 1973 - I was just 6 months old, and I apparently slept much better in a tent than I did in my cot back home. Even now, all these years later, I find sleeping in a tent extremely relaxing, and I generally have a decent night's sleep.
Last weekend, I headed off for another camping trip, this time at Long Lake, which is about two hours drive from home. The plan was for Wilson and I to do a walk-in camp for the weekend, whilst Andy stayed with the girls and kept them entertained in our absence.
I was going to be using just basic gear, and my accommodation would be a tarp which I would be making into a tent. I took everything in my backpack just to test things out for future backpacking trips, whilst Wilson would be carrying some of his own stuff in a little doggy backpack that we had recently purchased for him.
The weather for the weekend looked to be warm and dry, although it was expected to get close to freezing point overnight,so I was sure to take my warmer sleep bag, whilst Wilson had his own to keep him warm throughout the night.
The pitch turned out to be quite spacious, and we did a decent job on setting up the tarp tent. Sure, we were crawling in and out on hands and knees, but there was plenty of room for just me and Wilson and our gear.
We had a pretty relaxing day, just enjoying each others company and having a couple of hours walk together, and when tea time came, I cooked up some chicken kebabs on the firepit. I wouldn't say they were a complete failure, but there's certainly room for improvement for next time!
As night time came, so did the unexpected rain, so Wilson and I made tracks into the tarp tent to snuggle down where we'd be warmer and dryer. It was actually really cosy and warm inside, and I happily snuggled up with Wilson and had a beer and block chocolate before bedding down for the night.
The rain came heavy for a good hour or so and there were pools of water collecting on the footprint inside. A couple of spiders and beetles decided to join us but we weren't too concerned about sharing, given the amount of space we had.
We fell asleep quite easily, but around 3am, something woke me up from my slumber. My heart was pounding but as I finally came around, I realised that Wilson didn't seem.too bothered bu the sounds, so I figured it was nothing threatening. I lay in my sleeping bag listening to the noises just a mere 20 metres or away , and it was then that I realised it was the deer rut, and a couple of stags were likely locked in battle fighting for their mate. It was quite the sound and reminded me of the early morning call from the elk on the Mogollon Rim down in Arizona, when I did the 100 Mile Mogolllon Monster trail race.
Come morning, the sun was shining brightly, and the dampness from last night's rain was causing steam as it dried out in the sunlight. It was definitely chilly once we had crawled out if our sleeping bags, but a hot cup of tea and bowl.of porridge soon warmed us up, and we sat around for a while, just enjoying the stillness of the early morning and admiring the vibrant autumn colours that were further enhanced in the sunlight.
Wilson and I had another awesome morning together, playing with sticks and having another little walk, but we couldn't stay all day as we had a rendezvous point to get to for our ride home.
We quickly packed things away, and once done, we made tracks home, thankful for a fantastic weekend and ready for more.
I had of course missed Tillie and April very much, so for the past few days, they've both been having extra belly rubs and puppy snuggles. We've also been out not once but twice this week for a run altogether. I love running with all three pups together and they truly are the best running buddies I could wish for - I know for sure they enjoyed it :)
Of course, the camping trip was captured on video and you can join us on the trip by visiting my YouTube channel here.
Next weekend I have a 50k trail race that I'm doing which will also involve camping at the race venue. It should be another great weekend, so I'll be back again in the next few days to let you know how it went.
For now, happy camping, happy running, and keep on smiling and having fun. Until next time ... :)
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