My first camping experience...

I know this will sound strange to some; however, I'm in my 40s and just experienced camping for the first time this year. Weird ... I know.

After committing to camping, the first step was gearing up, so off to REI we went. The primary purchase was a pack because this wasn't to be the pull up to a campsite kinda camping, but a hike xx number of miles to a site, hauling all your own gear kinda camping. 

 

Getting fitted for and purchasing the right pack is a very important step and took quite a while. Next we spent quite a bit of time ops testing different sleeping options we'd researched ahead of time online. One serious misstep for me ... my partner doesn't like sleeping bags, so we didn't get one; that'll be relevant later.

If you're unsure how you feel about camping,#REI has a first-time camper program; they will loan you #camping gear to facilitate your camping experience. 

The first site Jon picked was a 10-mile hike; I immediately told him I thought that was a bit overzealous considering I'd never hiked that far with a 30-40lb pack. When we went to pick up our tent from REI we asked for some easy-hike, campsite recommendations. Of course they were eager to help (everyone always seems so happy to be there) and recommended Blood Mountain from Neels Gap which would only be about 4 miles. 

We stopped in at Mountain Crossings, on the Appalachian Trial mostly because someone (who shall remain nameless) forget his rain jacket and it was threatening to rain. While Jon was inside checking out gear, I wondered around with Hollis, checking out the area. There’s a huge tree off to the side where hikers toss their shoes after getting new ones at the outfitter. It was such a neat sight; however, hard to capture with my iPhone. I was walking around the back side of the building and got hit with a foul stench; I stumbled upon some hikers fresh off the #AppalachianTrail…man did they smell. But that’s to be expected when you’re hiking the entire trail. After I watched the movie Wild I thought I wanted to try the PCT or the AT myself; I now know that is not in the cards for me. 

 

After our Mountain Crossings adventure we headed out to find parking at Neels Gap; lucky for us there was one spot remaining. We mounted up and hit the trail. In the end, even that hike was a challenge for me; mountain being the key word. My pack was 37lbs and the elevation was serious! One mile in I thought, then said aloud ... I can't do this. Jon asked if I wanted to turn around ... of course I said no; I wanted to complete this challenge. I had to remind myself often, 1 step at a time. 

We finally made it to the peak of Blood Mountain where we were greeted by a very cheerful Appalachian trail-guide. After a bit of small talk she asked if we were heading back or staying the night; I thought the huge packs were a pretty good indication but hey, I guess we could've been training. We told her we were staying which prompted a follow-up question...do you have a bear container? I immediately shot Jon a disapproving look (1) because I'd asked him about that when we were shopping (something I read when doing my first-timer research), but he said we didn't need that around here and (2) bears, seriously, bears. Since we didn't have one, we couldn't stay at that campsite. All was not lost, there was another campsite about 1.5 miles down the other side of the mountain with a communal bear canister. 

Silly me, I couldn't help but ask if bears were a real concern in this area or if the requirement was just precautionary; her answer was jarring for a few reasons. I could hear her voice as I was typing this. Yes: a few weeks ago a bear bit a camper’s leg through his tent; he didn't have food but his sunblock had coconut oil in it so maybe the bear thought it was food. Then she went on to explain last week she woke to a rat chewing on her chap stick. She'd forgotten to put it away; the rat chewed through the pocket on her pack to get to it. I had an immediate reaction to that because my whole body, literally head (in my hair)-to-toe was covered in coconut oil and in the same pocket she pointed to on her pack, I had vanilla-scented lip balm. She asked if I had wipes and recommended I give my body a good wipe down before going to sleep. 😐

At this point I DID want to go back...I did NOT sign up for bear or rat interactions! After I collected myself, we started down the mountain to the other campsite.

Once we made it to the campsite and picked out a spot to pitch our tent, one of my favorite moments happened. My "city dog", who lives in a condo and takes walks through the concrete jungle to do his business, sniffed out a tree then proceeded to dig a hole. I, a "city girl", had no idea what Hollis was doing. A few minutes later he plopped down in to the hole and went to sleep. I was a proud fur momma. Apparently Mr Hollis was also tired from lugging his pack up and down the mountain; yep I bought him a pack to carry his own food and water...earn your keep.

We readied our site without incident, ate our dinner (various cheeses, deli meats and crackers), chatted with fellow campers set up not far from us, watched the sunset, then prepped for bed. It was a bit chilly so I put on my thermals which I almost didn't bring. We had a whole argument about it ... why do I need thermals in May in Georgia?!? Fine I'll bring them. 

Thank goodness I listened to him. The temperature dropped rapidly after the sun set; I was so cold I couldn't fall asleep. Here's where that sleeping bag would've come in handy...another side eye at Jon as he snored away without a care in the world. I'm not a snuggler; however, I was so close to him, I'm certain when he inhaled he was breathing in my air. Jon sensed my restlessness and after I explained why he told me to put my clothes back on, over my thermals. Gross, but okay anything to warm up. It helped a bit I guess, at some point (mid-morning) I found restless sleep; restless because I kept turning over to warm the opposite side of my body against him. Cold to the bone, the next morning when I woke,  I asked Jon if we can pack up and get moving. After I got warmed up, normal bodily functions kicked in and that is when I learned what a privy was...all I can say about that is yuck, yuck, yuck, but it was very necessary. 

The hike out was also an adventure; we followed an alternative route the trail guide told us about. This trail was obviously the path less traveled; I'm not sure how many spider webs I ran into on the way back but it was unnerving. 

All in all, I'd do it again; however, maybe a couple of pull-in camp sites and I'll certainly never camp again without a sleeping bag. 

What will your next adventure be?