I have never been camping in my life.

That is, I had never been camping until this last weekend.

I believe in trying new things and challenging yourself. It was something I knew I could do, just never really got around to, or frankly, had the desire to do. Having had a horse for years and also growing up on a larger piece of property, I know what it is like to get dirty. Dirty is fine. It is the not being able to clean up afterwards that I’m not hip to.

Anyways, the campsite is in Winthrop, WA. It’s a cute little town that still has the wood facades on all of the buildings that harken back to it’s inception in the latter half of the 19th century. The actual campsite is by a lake so you could go for a swim. This was a very nice option as it was 102 degrees. It seems everywhere I travel likes to have a heat wave to welcome me.

This little duck decided to visit camp and see if there were any scraps. The wildlife were quite prevalent the whole weekend. Being by a lake, there were ample amounts of bugs. Turns out some of them were tenacious, biting bugs based on the amount of swollen bites on my feet. The ducks and birds would amble around, making themselves at home. Then in the middle of the night I hear a CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. What the hoo ha? Outside the tent were three deer munching away on the tall grasses. Not phased by the flashlight, they kept eating and I had to get used to it. Around 3am they went for a nice tromp around the tent. Everyone needs a nice late night frolic. In the morning, I was awoken to a RIP. RIP. The birds were trying to slide down the tent and rip off pieces of it. So between the deer and birds, I didn’t get much sleep.

That morning brought two disheartening revelations: 1. I forgot to pack any soap or shampoo for the shower facilities and 2. The heat was not going to go away. So there I was, sweaty, dirty, grumpy, trying to clean myself with the baby wipes I thankfully remembered.

It really wasn’t all bad. The stars at night were stunning. You just can’t see a display like that in the city. Orion. The Big Dipper. Cassiopeia. All the beautiful constellations were out in full force. Makes me want to study astronomy and get a telescope- something you won’t have much use for under the cloudy skies of Seattle. Before the stars came out, the sky was painted in a colorful sunset.

After two and a half days “roughing it”, I was glad to return to civilization. Hot showers, washing machines, dishwashers, sealed windows to keep bugs out. I really appreciate these things. Though I loved the open skies and rolling hills, I’m not sure camping is my thing. Maybe once a year, just to keep me humble. It just seems like a lot of work to relax. I prefer a trip to the spa…

xoxo,

Jess