*** side note: We did ask for help once. When we first arrived we weren't sure where we were supposed to set up our tent so we asked a guy that we thought was going to be our neighbor if he thought we could pitch our tent in the spot that we ended up in. But let's be honest, he was no help so really we made that decision on our own still.
*** another side note: I asked for help before the trip on a few things so that way once we actually went camping we would know how to do everything.
So camping...
Day 1:
Kasey and I had a crazy day at work, everyone at the Daycare had a crazy day, so instead of getting off at 1 like we were supposed to we each worked until at least 1:30 setting us back a little bit. Once we finally got off we quickly packed up the coolers with food and drinks and loaded up the car. I was determined to use no internet this trip so I wouldn't be tempted to use Google or GPS. I printed out Google Maps directions beforehand so that we had to only rely on those to get us to Raccoon Lake. And guess what? We actually made it without getting lost! Anyone who knows me knows I'm terrible with directions so to me this is a huge accomplishment. Shoutout to Kasey for reading the directions and making sure I took all the correct turns. You da best.
When we got close to the campsite it started to sprinkle and Kasey mentioned how we shouldn't worry because that was all the rain we were going to get, even though it was supposed to rain for the next hour. Well what do you know, she was right. We had beautiful weather all weekend. A nice breeze was going and it was cloudy enough that we didn't feel like we were baking in the sun all day. I already mentioned the embarrassing moment when we had to ask for help on where our camp lawn even was at. At that moment I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to handle the entire weekend on our own. I got even more nervous once Elaine arrived and we started putting up the tent. One of the support poles was broken so we had to improvise and make a splint out of firewood to keep it supporting it's own weight all weekend.
Once we set up the tent and unloaded the rest of our stuff it was time to tackle the next obstacle: starting a fire to cook dinner on. Thank goodness Elaine was able to come because she was the weekend Fire Master. We probably would have starved to death without her expertise on how to get a fire starting. Speaking for myself, I know absolutely nothing about starting a fire and keeping it going. We crushed that campfire dinner. Shoutout to us for not burning anything down and keeping the fire going enough to cook on it.
Since we are super cool we ended up going to bed by 10. Sleeping on the ground wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. So, yay for that.
Day 2:
We slept in... until 8AM. Is that even considered sleeping in? I guess when you are sleeping on a hard ground and there is a million kids making noise around your paper thin tent that's not half bad. We made a pretty great breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage to fuel us up for our hike. We went to Turkey Run and hiked for at least 5 miles. We even packed lunches so we could eat on the trails. Sandwiches, fresh fruit, granola bars, and chips. We had to find a spot where children weren't, because we were sick of seeing children. After the hike we went back to our campground and I took a solid nap in the uncomfortable lawn chair. I like to be comfortable when I sleep so that is a testament to how tired I was.
(Elaine was also Trail Leader, she basically is an extraordinaire)
Dinner this night consisted of hotdogs that we speared on sticks from the forest and cooked over the fire that KASEY made. It might not impress anyone else, but my mom was super impressed that we would "rough it" enough to eat food that we had to spear on sticks to cook.
Kasey and I's coworker, Jennie, came around 8:30 to stay the night with us. She is hilarious and it was great that she could come out for the night. Things got a little crazy after quiet hours when not one, but THREE, old guy camp security men had to come over and ask us to keep it quiet. Yeah, that's right. It took three old men to tame our party. We even stayed up until like 12:30, so suck it bedtime.
Day 3:
We ended up getting up earlier and cooked another delicious breakfast: eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. Camping isn't gonna stop us from eating well. And eating we did. I wasn't ever hungry the entire trip. To make it worse, I was full almost the entire time yet I rallied and continued to eat so we wouldn't have to bring home any food. Probably gained like 300 pounds and my stomach is not happy with me but we accomplished our goal of no leftovers. Much success. We got home at around noon and then I napped super hard. Because nothing like a "vacation" to make someone tired and wish for days of sleep.
Random shoutouts to people who helped make this vacation a success:
*My mom for helping me decide what I needed to bring with, for having all the supplies already, and for giving me directions on how to cook dinner over the fire. You saved me from starving, so thanks.
*Blaine for coming over and showing me how to set up the tent before we went so I could figure it out once we got there. Also thanks for not breaking the support beam and leaving that for me to do when I took it down the next day. I can't forget, thanks for crawling into the camper with me and helping me pull out all the things I'd need.
*My dad for pulling out the AC unit because what if I got hot when I was sleeping? I can't live under those conditions.
ONE RAGRET: when we went grocery shopping on Thursday before the trip we left our alcohol and the check-out. Who does that? Only thing I would change about the entire trip.
