I don’t know too many Boy Scout troops who stay in Westin hotels. Actually, I don’t know any, which is why teaching myself to camp has been a high priority – for Andrew’s sake. Since I am Andrew’s aid and advocate for life, I follow in his teenage footsteps. Where ever Andrew goes – I am close behind. Boy Scouts has been good for Andrew, and while I am not the scout, it certainly has broadened my horizons and created my most recent adventures: learning to tent camp.
Scouting means Camping
Many people consider something like sky diving an ultimate adventure, for me is sleeping in a tent. Don’t get me wrong, I love being outdoors. Sitting under the stars, hiking, fording creeks, spelunking, fishing – it just doesn’t get any better. But sleeping in a tent pushes my limitations. I am afraid that my airline job turned me into a hotel snob, and the fluffy pillows at the Westin ranks high on my priority list. My daughter follows in my footsteps, and claims she pays her bills so she doesn’t have to sleep in a tent.
My First Scout Camping Experience
Four weeks after Andrew joined our local troop, we participated in our first campout. The regional jamboree only happens every two years – we were in luck! Hey, why start with a normal camping trip when you can join 4000 scouts and 48 hours of non-stop activities? Andrew was ecstatic, but if there was ever a ‘deer look’ in headlights, it was me. I felt prepared, yet made every mistake a new camper could make.
Scout Motto: Be Prepared
My eldest is an Eagle Scout. I dug out all his camping stuff from a remote corner of our basement. I found a backpack, ground mat, sleeping bag, and an air pillow. I felt prepared and ready to take on a new adventure. The problem with this scenario is that my eldest went to scouts without me. He did his own planning, packing, and toting. My job was to drop him off with a kiss and a wave, but with Andrew, I am always in tow. The fact was, I had all the camping ‘stuff’, and I ‘looked’ like I knew what I was doing, BUT I lacked knowledge and experience. At the last minute, I decided to throw in a swim mattress for good measure. Big – BIG – mistake.
The Highs and Lows
Do not sleep on a swim mattress, in a tent, E-V-E-R. The ground looked flat, but there was a slight incline, and all night the swim mattress took on a life of its own. It kept migrated downhill, until I bonded with the side of the tent. Finally, I gave up working my way back to center position, and gave into bonding (Mistake number 2). It sprinkled during the night, sometime between potty trek 2 and 3, and I discovered that there is a reason why one doesn’t sleep against the wall of a tent. Whatever, or in my case, whomever comes into contact with the condensation on the tent canvas becomes just as wet. By morning, I felt like I had swam in the river. Of course, it was a shower-less, blow dryer-less kind of weekend, which adds another plus for the Westin.
Wear Sturdy Hiking Shoes
It is common sense to wear sturdy hiking shoes, but for me this was mistake number 3. It is expert advice, but what I didn’t know was that hiking shoes are overkill for night time activity- like the dreaded porta-potty trek. I rolled around on my back, trying to slip my feet into these cumbersome, heavy shoes, while trying to avoid leg cramps at the same time. By this time, my lower back had already paid the price for trying to sleep on the swim mattress. Then there was the effort to adequately tie the shoe strings so they don’t drag on the porta-potty floor. (Eww!) Lesson learned: Slip-on shoes are necessary for the nightly ‘treks of shame‘ to the porta-potty.
During all this, Andrew slept peacefully.
The Culmination of my Mistakes
I left this two night camping trip with several herniated discs, a numb foot, and legs that felt like lead weights. All symptoms persisted for about 8 months following my camping adventure. But Andrew had a blast, which meant I needed to step up my game.
Teaching Myself to Camp
Teaching Myself to LIKE Tents
I started self-education by joining a Facebook camping group on-line. To join, you had to answer questions like “What can you offer this group?” I was absolutely honest and replied, “Nothing. I have no experience; I hate tents and that is why I need to join. Please help me find warm fuzziness when I see a tent.” It was a good place to start and the members have been helpful.
One member pointed out that I needed to pinpoint exactly ‘what’ I hated about tents. (Ummm, everything?) I came up with this list:
- Sleeping on the ground
- Getting up from the ground,
- The porta-potty trek 3 times a night,
- Trying to put shoes on in the middle of the night while laying down
- Not being able to stand to dress
- Crawling out on my knees
- The sound of the zippers that cut through the night silence.
This was a good starter list.
Learning to Tent Camp
I started with the tent issues. I purchased a tent. A B-I-G tent, like a 6 person tent for two people. I can stand up, and it has a small enclosed porch for sitting and reading, or a private area for Andrew to work on his puzzles when he feels the need to get up at 0-dark-hundred-hours. Standing up in my tent means I can dress in an upright position, and I can put my shoes on sitting down – in a chair or on a cot. I figure if I start big and get comfortable, then maybe I can work down to the small two person tents that the scout troop uses.
I purchased air mattresses. (Mistake number 4). Having something that resembled a bed sounded like a good idea, until I realized that most of the time electricity was going to be non-existent. I blew through way too many batteries.
Finally, following advice from my camping group, I purchased camping cots and I will never look back.
The Night Time Potty Trek
The older I get I seem to require extra night time treks. I don’t want to leave Andrew alone in the tent, I don’t want to wake him to go with me, and the thought of trekking through the dark in a campground or woods doesn’t sound safe, or appealing either. I solved my dilemma by purchasing a camping potty and some pine pellets at the local farm supply store. In the past, I used pellets to cover my horses’ stall. Moisture makes them big and fluffy and the pine eliminates smell. Problem solved: No more night treks.
My new camping potty does pose one issue. I know there is going to be a backpacking-camping trip at some point in my future. I have this mental image of me with an overloaded backpack, happily hugging my very own private, personal potty on my front side.
Our Supportive Troop
Scout Law states: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” Personally I think they should add ‘patience‘ to this list. Our troop has the most patience of any group I have ever had the privilege to join. I love the support Andrew and I have received. We bring a new level of scouting neediness due to Prader-Willi syndrome, and a mom, that has to learn as much as her son.
I appreciate the fact that I can set up my Taj Mahal tent on scout campouts. This way I get practice under guided supervision. I prefer to struggle with my own set up for learning purposes, but it is nice to know that help is readily available!
Going Solo
Andrew and I finally ventured out by ourselves for a week-long, primitive camping trip. I played it safe and made sure the campground was at least 3 hours away, so I couldn’t migrate home to use my blow dryer! I chose primitive camping because we were more secluded. Prader-Willi syndrome plays a large part in our lifestyle and having other campers in close proximity, means food is more readily accessible.
I felt overwhelmed without the scoutmasters and the boys watchful eyes. It took me five hours to set up camp because the ground was rock hard, and it took FOREVER to hammer the tent stakes into cemented mud and rock. After setup, the rest of the week was great! Andrew and I had a blast cooking out, hiking, geocaching, metal detecting, and sight seeing.
Frances says
Great job! I am so proud of you! Your retirement resume is much more impressive than your working one. KUDOS!
Danielle Warmuth says
At one time I related tent camping to about as bad as sleeping in an airline seat. Yes, the resume is getting tweaked and more diverse. 🙂