Roughing It
October 15th, 2006 by Ian
I made it back alive from out tent camping experience. And I have to say that I enjoyed it. Lake Mineral Wells is so close to us - less than a 2 hour drive. It seemed like we were there in no time (a bonus for me who hates long drives). The campsite was very nice with a cleared area for the tent, fire ring, running water, and picnic table. And the hiking was excellent! On Saturday we hiked about 6 miles. And that was before noon. It was wonderful hiking through the woods with the dogs. We left them off leash most of the time since there was nobody else around. They ran themselves ragged which is what we wanted. Bobby and I just enjoyed strolling through the forest and admiring the views of the lake.
Sleeping in the tent was not quite as nice as I hoped. The sleeping pads did add a little comfort, but not much. Next time we’ll be getting an inflatable bed. I think that will make a huge improvement.
Cooking on a fire and a camp stove was a new experience for me. I tried making a meal on the campfire Friday night. I found the recipe on the web. Basically you mix dried onion soup mix, ground meat, and chopped veggies. Wrap it all in foil and throw it on the coals. The meal wasn’t really that great. But it was a starting point, I already have a number of ways I can improve it. I did scrambled eggs and toast on the Coleman stove for breakfast and that turned out nice. I also heated up some water so we could have hot tea and cider. Now that I have a feel for what I can and can’t cook out there, I’ll be able to pack better next time. And hopefully make tastier meals.
My one bit of genius with cooking was to chop all veggies at home and have them in the cooler ready to go. This made things much simpler. No need for a chopping board and knife. Just dump and go. I highly recommend it.
We ended up staying just one night instead of the two we planned. On Saturday we got some rain and it was forecast to rain more over the evening and next day. I didn’t want to be breaking camp in the middle of the rain. Especially since we would be loading everything into my new Rav4. It was bad enough we were carting the dogs around in it after only having it 18 hours. I think one night is a good stay. Especially if you arrive early and leave late. I’d enjoy doing that many more times.
On one of our future trips, I want to try primitive camping. Lake Mineral Wells had a primitive camping area that you had to hike 2 miles to get to. We hiked over there just to check it out. It is in the middle of a wooded area with a few clearings around. There is no electricity, water, restrooms, tables, or other basics you find at the walk-in campsites. You hike in everything you need and then hike it all out. I think it would be a lot of fun to try for a night. The only problem with it is that the park does not allow fires out there. So you better not go when it is too cold or you’ll freeze your ass off. I’m hoping we can get a group together soon and give it a try. It better be very soon because the colder weather is fast approaching.
Hooray! I’m happy to hear the camping trip went well, and that you’re interested in trying it again…Ours was good too, though it poured on Sunday, and the 6.5 mile hike back to the car got a bit muddy and wet. Let’s talk soon, ok?
Glad you enjoyed roughing it! Zach was once outdoors-y, but being in a relationship with me for the last 10 years kind of ended that. I actually suggested we go camping someday soon, but only if we get the tent attachment that turns the bed of our truck into a tent. No sense sleeping on the ground with the bugs!
Glad to see Brian poking his head in. Hi Brian!
I would totally do the primitive camping but only if we can build a campfire. That’s the best part! Well, that and seeing the stars.