Noticing xxxix - camping

[The following is my redo of yesterday's vanished post. Yesterday's was better. But oh well!]

We spent Friday night camping at a favorite spot known as "the Indians," attending a wedding. I was there three weeks ago as well, with a group of Volunteer Wilderness Rangers (VWRs). The two experiences were quite different. Starting with how we camped.

Most of the VWRs set up small backpacking tents, though a few slept in their cars. This weekend, in contrast, featured a good half dozen or more RVs and truck-towed trailers; there were also tents, some perched atop cars and trucks, and a few folks slept in their trucks. Here's the general scene:

David and I spent some of Friday evening tucked into one of those RVs with a few friends. It was so comfy! Warm thanks to a generator-powered heater; a cozy nook to settle into; rye on the rocks; and good conversation. There is definitely an appeal to those monsters. Though I can't see owning one. They spend most of the time parked in storage yards—and the thought of driving something so large and cumbersome does not entice.

For our part, we camped down the road a bit, in a brand-new, easy-to-erect Coleman tent we could actually stand up in. Such luxury, compared to a backpacking tent! Though my Therm-a-Rest pad refused to stay inflated, making the ground that much harder, and my toes got cold. I thought longingly of that warm RV whenever I woke up, which was not infrequently . . .

My sister- and brother-in-law had, for a number of years, a EuroVan that they traveled around in. That strikes me as the perfect compromise: small enough to drive comfortably; everything you need in one place; set up a couple of chairs and a folding table and you've got an outdoor living room. I could almost see investing in one of those, somewhere down the road. Maybe when David retires.

But for now, I'm sticking with tents. Here are a few I have found myself in or around over the years (I currently have three: one one-person Big Agnes, a two-person MSR, and a four-season single-wall Bibler), plus a few other rustic accommodations. It's not really about the tents, though; it's all about the context. (Still, I am now in the market for a new sleeping pad or two. Comfort matters!)

Green River rafting trip, Utah

Also Green River: loved that spot!

A final Green River campsite:
that was a truly stellar trip

Ruth Gorge, Alaska

Pine Valley, Ventana Wilderness: SAR training

SAR Snow & Ice training, Carson Pass

My friend Miranda's 35th birthday bash: no tents needed!

Plaskett Ridge, Big Sur: the screening was a must—
Big Sur can be super buggy

Ventana Camp, Ventana Wilderness
(not my tent, but all three of us VWRs had
Big Agnes single tents, just different vintages)

Camp  Curry, Yosemite

Another SAR Snow & Ice training

Namibia

Cheakamus River, British Columbia

Costa Rica: that was one wet day, but the tarps
(mostly) worked fine

Also Costa Rica

Denali, Alaska

Housekeeping Camp, Yosemite: swiftwater training