The Adventures of Nature Girl.....or, Basic Suburban Folk Go Camping

All summer long, a couple of friends and I have talked about going camping. We've been itching to get outside. And this past weekend, we finally scratched the itch.

Of course, after setting aside this weekend and planning much of the summer for it, the forecast turned to shit the week before. We discussed the rain several times, never wavering in our plan. Friday, two of us had to work before we could head on out and meet up at the campground. We had found a good middle point that was about equidistant for all of us - me from Auburn Hills and them from Grand Rapids. Friday, the reality of the impending storms hit and the question was thrown out as to whether we should wait and head out tomorrow. No, dammit. We are going. Rain isn't going to stop us. And so....we went.

Though I drove through bands of pouring rain on the way out, the campground was dry when we arrived. We hurried to set up the tent before the rain reached us, not knowing how much we might possibly get at once. With minimal issue, we got the tent up.....I only managed to bend up one tent stake, due to my Hulk-like rage at not being able to push the stake through some buried rock underground.  Whoops. It was dead still and about 9384023% humidity. We were soaked in sweat by the time we were done. But there it stood.

Well, without the fire initially. But by the evening it looked awesome!

Of course, by the time we were ready to make a fire.....it had been drizzling on and off and all the wood in the area was damp. Even the bundles of firewood were damp from the humidity, despite being covered. Thankfully, we had kind neighbors who took pity on us (after Brogan crashed their campsite and asked real nice-like) and threw a little lighter fluid on our fire to get it going. From that point, I was able to prod the fire to life so that we could make some dinner!

Behold!! I give you fire!

We enjoyed a drink by the fire before finally turning in. Jessie and I ended up chatting and shooting the shit for a while in the dark, unable to settle in and snooze through the humidity as easily as Brogan. Finally, we drifted out. Overnight, we got hit with a solid thunderstorm. There's something about waking up to thunder and pouring rain.....and being perfectly dry. Our tent held up well. A bit of water worked its way in at the far corners, but it could be managed with a single towel and no one floated away. Turns out, our neighbors on the other side were not so lucky. Their tents flooded out, and they spent the rest of the weekend with blankets, pillows, and other belongings draped over their cars trying to dry. 

All this rain made for stifling humidity in the morning. Despite a couple of attempts at dozing off (after Jessie the rooster woke up BEFORE 7 AM), we finally gave in and got up. Jess ran into town to get a couple of necessities we had forgotten, and came back with coffee. She really wanted to make some eggs over the fire, so I attempted to revive the fire. It got going, but not hot enough to keep the cast iron skillet hot or to get the coffee percolating. Jessie got grumpy face, and it was clear we were not going anywhere until there was more food. And so, I decided we were gonna have a hot-ass fire, come hell or high water.  And so:

Look at that smug mf-er in the background

Fueled up and caffeinated, we got ourselves packed up and ready to hike. Sleepy Hollow has a continuous hiking trail that loops the lake, intersecting on one side with some multi-use and horse trails. At that point, it was 85 degrees and 95% humidity. We figured we would get around the lake and then see how we felt. The paths criss-crossing on the west side would let us adjust mileage accordingly. The loop started off in the woods....and it was beautiful.

So much green. Green everywhere.

We saw some wildlife. Unfortunately, that included a wee mouse that appeared to have been hit by a mountain bike. Little buddy was taking his last sad little breaths. And my squishy lil heart couldn't bear leaving him in the middle of the path. That's no place to die. And there's no dignity in being stepped on or hit again. Yes, I know. Nature is harsh. And unforgiving. And I realize that, regardless, he was going to die. But that's just how I roll. Ask Jessie.  Our last hike together, we came across a chipmunk that had been hit and killed (hopefully instantly, not sure) by a mountain bike just before we got there. I moved it off the path and under some leaves. There's my wildly overactive empath-self at work. And so, wee mouse needed to at least be moved. So I picked him up in some leaves and moved him to under a tree. I covered in him a couple of leaves and tried not to cry. Because: soft and squishy. For Pete's sake, I'm tearing up just writing this. Fortunately, after that, we came across lots of (very alive) little frogs. And a bigger mouse running through the plants. And then some bigger frogs. And I was pleased.

The humidity was killer. Under the trees, we were granted shade. But not a lick of breeze. And after 6 miles, we parked it on the trail to rest and snack a little. Refreshed, we carried on. Until we came to a fork in the path, which appeared to drop off a damn cliff and then immediately climb vertically up the next hill. I was not impressed.

What fresh hell is this.

Finally, we cut across to the multi-use trail. It was wide open. And we finally had a breeze!! But now the trade off....the sun felt like it was riding directly on the top of my daypack. Holy hell.  But we were treated to a beautiful view of the lake.

Hello, beautiful

I'm gonna take a second right here to thank Jessie and Brogan for sharing their gorgeous pictures from this whole weekend. All of these were taken by them. I refused to take my phone out of my daypack, as I attempted to disconnect and be absorbed in the moment. That has its pros and cons. Obviously, I have vivid memories of the hike. I got to be completely in the moment and think only of the walking and the scenery and all of the sensory bits to be taken in. The downside is that I had little photographic evidence from the weekend to share later. And this post would just be a bunch of words and no pretty pictures to show you all. So thank you, friends, for your photographic skills. Some day maybe I'll be able to balance both of these things. 

We cut around the lake and back to the campground, ending the hike just around 9 miles. We could've easily added a few more miles on the north end, but I think we all needed to sit and cool down. Let's be honest....as much as I loved the hike....taking off hiking shoes and socks was probably one of the greatest feelings ever.

That'll do pig.

Once cooled off and mellowed out, it was time to make dinner. Brogan had prepped some chicken and veggies for skewers, and I had some veggie burgers (for my less-meat habit lately). I got that fire goin' - I had proudly dubbed myself the Fire Master. I'm really sure my firefighter father would be extra stoked to hear how much I enjoyed breathing life into hot embers to make flames ignite the fresh wood. Sorry, Padre. 

I got me a pokin' stick. Burn, baby, burn!

So many pretty colors. So tasty.

The night gave way to cooler, more comfortable temps. We attempted to check out the meteor showers, but it was still too early - we needed the moon to set so it stopped interfering - and we got booted out of the open area near the beach because it was "closed". Of course, that was after Jessie gave the ranger a talking to for illuminating us to a bunch of drunk teen boys. It was quite entertaining. But also a sobering reminder of having to be on guard walking the trails at night as women.....and not because of potential furry four-legged creatures in the woods. 

We mellowed out by the fire and enjoyed some beverages. I couldn't have been more content if I had tried. When we finally climbed into the tent, I was out like a light. The night stayed cool and dry, and we had a good breeze through the tent. Perfect sleeping weather. We slept in a bit the next morning. Once up, we took our time getting moving, making a last pot of coffee over the fire and hanging out at the campsite. 

Really, truly, one of the best parts of camping

Brogan gets all artistic over coffee <3

It was bittersweet to break down camp and pack away everything in the cars. It was such a wonderful weekend. My soul was happy. Being out in nature, away from everything, disconnected from the world.....it's so necessary. We spent the weekend talking about our next camping adventure, planning to work toward some backpacking and camping up north. By next summer, I want to be able to do some real backcountry exploring. Because there's nothing like pooping in a hole to bring you closer to nature. No, seriously, I do want to be able to be pretty self-sufficient and do some multi-day trips out into the woods. And who better to adventure with than these awesome women??

I look like I photobombed the shit outta these two.

Back to work this week, my brain is still outdoors. Ive been looking up places to go hike. I've saved several locations to my "to-do" list. And I've started doing a little research into some of the gear and tidbits I need to learn/know to do this all successfully. I cannot wait to get back outside again. I'm eager to take advantage of every bit of outdoor time before snow hits.

Now I'm off for more Brutus snuggles. We are mellowing out on the couch with The Office on in the background, while I read books about travel and adventure. Sometimes it's nice just to live a little vicariously, eh? I had planned to go get a couple of jumps in this coming weekend, but it looks like the weather is going to thwart that plan. Keeping my fingers crossed that they're wrong and Saturday morning ends up being clear. Otherwise, I'll bump that back a week. It's not a bad consolation to spend the morning drinking coffee and hanging out instead. 

Here's to a good end of the week. Let's hope that full moon treats us all well.