It's been awhile since I've checked off something from my 30 Before 30 list but I've recently taken a trip which allows me to check off number 19. What is number 19?
Yup, that's right. This city girl went camping for the first time. Don't get me wrong, I did Girl Scouts as a child and went to a cabin in the woods; but my friend & her husband go hiking and camping all the time. So I asked to tag along. I've been hiking with them this past December {boy, oh boy was that a cold trip} but this time we went hiking and camping off Skyline Drive. Why is this a once in a lifetime adventure? Stay tuned....
Here are some of the amazing views I got to see while driving on Skyline Drive...
Oh what? You don't think those are amazing views? That's right, they aren't. When my friend told me people drive Skyline Drive for the views, I was like 'what views?' LOL. The fog was so insane on our drive up there that I couldn't see a single thing {not great for driving}! So anyways, here are the real views I saw on our way home...
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| My favorite picture from the trip... |
Unfortunately it rained on our hike {nope, not the unfortunate part of our adventure} so I wasn't able to take any pictures of the amazing waterfalls we saw. And I do mean AMAZING! The kind you see in magazines. Although it rained, the temperature was actually pretty nice during the hike. Plus we were moving around a lot {duh} which kept us warm. Here's the happy hikers all decked out in our gear! :)
So are you ready for the terrible part in our adventure? The thing that makes it a once in a lifetime type thing? Okay, so I mentioned it rained. I'm okay with rain as long as it's warm. Luckily it was during the day, but at night that was a completely different story. We're talking dropping at least 20-30 degrees, rain and a crazy howling wind. Given that it was suppose to be warmer, we were not prepared for the drop in temps. Let me walk you through it. After a long hike, we head back to the camp ground to set up our tent. And then BAM, cold washes over our trip. Chills running down every part of your body, teeth chattering and rapid breathing commences. We try playing cards but the wind doesn't allow for it. Setting a fire seemed premature at first, but then the rain eliminates all possibility of warming up by the fire. We quickly cook up dinner with a small grill, powered by gas, and decide to turn into the tent {figuring at least we'd be out of the wind and rain}.
We go to bed early; we're chilly, but able to manage. After mid-night the rain stops but its like a light was switched. The temperatures dropped even more. I put my clothes on from the hike that day, hoping the extra layers would help, but it didn't. I wish I had pictures to show how wrapped up I was inside my blanket. I looked like Bailey curled up in a little ball. I woke up every hour trying to find a new position that would help keep me warm. And if that wasn't enough, my air mattress had a slow leak. So I spent most of the night with my a$$ on the floor. Urgh....
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| My soaking wet toes after the hike...eek! :( |
Trying to warm up we woke up really early, talking 4 AM, to start a fire and warm ourselves up. It helped a little bit, but not too much. So we hoped in the car and drove along Skyline Drive. The butt warmer in the car was pretty nifty! ;) I got to see a nice deer...
And use a real restroom! Going to the bathroom outside is no picnic. I really don't enjoying baring my pale white bottom to all the creatures of the woods. We were suppose to go hiking the second day, but the cold weather didn't let up. So we just headed back home.
We had a great time hiking and I'm glad I got the check camping off my list. Looking forward to the next trip which will blow this one time experience up!! :) Anyone else have a camping adventure they'd like to share??
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