Camping

It seems that this is a week of surprising discoveries. Last Saturday, I wrote about how I ate and enjoyed cottage cheese after professing to hate it my whole life. And now I am here to tell you that I camped in a tent and had a thoroughly enjoyable time!

Side note: Last week one of my attendance questions in class was "Do you like tomatoes?" One of my students answered that he did, but that he was embarrassed to admit it because he had made such a big deal about hating them for his whole childhood. I could relate. It's hard to admit that we are wrong. 

In this case, it's not that I hate camping, but that I thought it was something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Sophie decided that for her birthday, she wanted to go camping with her friends at Lake Hope State Park. We have been there many times, but we always stay in cabins. Where I can sleep in an actual bed. And have my own bathroom with a shower. But for this event, we would be camping in tents.

Here were my concerns:

1. Setting up the tent: In my memories of childhood, setting up the tent was a whole ordeal that was difficult and took forever. I was not looking forward to helping with that process.

2. Being cold: I hate to be cold, and I am often cold. I was not looking forward to being cold in a tent.

3. Being uncomfortable or wet: Again, in my childhood memories of tent camping there was a lot of rain that made the tent damp and uncomfortable. There was a chance of rain and I was not looking forward to being damp in any way.

4. Creepy bathrooms: I'm just not a fan of bottomless pit toilets. Too many unknowns.

However, despite all of my concerns, camping in the tent was a real delight. As it turns out, modern tents are quite easy to assemble. It was not cold at all and the rain didn't start until we were well on our way home. And, there were some creepy toilets, but also a nice modern one that was equidistant. 

The perfect weather, a beautiful hike among the fall leaves, a perfectly roasted hot dog on the campfire, and the fun that the girls had made it a great time. I was so apprehensive about sleeping in the tent, but the cool night air, the song of the insects, and my cozy sleeping bag were all delightful. I awoke feeling surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Who knows? Maybe I'll go tent camping again and even bring cottage cheese along with me!