When you live in the country you must accept the fact that for a few days every summer your living room looks like this. There is no point in vacuuming the carpet, dusting the furniture, or entertaining visitors. The camping participant (in this case Weston) uses the various rooms in your house as a staging arena, a place to organize equipment for the upcoming camping trip.
Usually Weston's camping adventures are limited to an overnight stay in the nearby forest. He and a few friends will hike up the mountain, pitch their tents, and sit around a campfire texting their friends. The only food they bring is cheddar cheese chips, some Swedish Fish, and maybe a Gatorade. In the morning, they fish a squashed doughnut out of a backpack, hike back down the mountain, and spend the rest of the day pretending like they don't need a nap.
The above "mess" signifies something greater is at hand. Note the JetBoil stove, the foam sleep mat, the first aid kit, the extreme lightweight sleeping bag, a water filter, the hammock, and the one week's worth of t.p. Not shown is the week's worth of food, such as flavored rice, oatmeal, beef jerky, trail mix, foil pack "canned" chicken, granola, and hard caramel candy. No junk food now. It's not worth the extra weight. All food must be justified as vital to survival or it's not being packed.
Now, these survival items are on the couch. Soon, they will be spread back out on the floor in an attempt to pack and re-pack for greatest efficiency. It's not unusual to get everything packed only to realize something important was forgotten. The mini-deodorant. The trial-size toothpaste. Shampoo? Not happening.
Stay tuned for Day 27...
No comments:
Post a Comment
You won't be paid for it, but at least you'll know that you have contributed intelligence to the universe...