this weekend i went camping. i don't camp, but i went. we spent the weekend in and around calf creek falls (southern utah) and it was one not to be forgotten.
after missing our first exit (thank heavens for google maps & gps) and shortly into the trip (but well past civilization) we realized we forgot a lot of things, however, we used some creativity and made it work:
cereal bowls - we cut the tops off water bottles and made bowls
spoons - we drank our cereal
knives - we spread our pp&j with a pair of scissors (which also served as a stirring spoon)
plates - ate our food in one holding
cups - no hot chocolate for us
a couple toothbrushes - wisps came in handy for some
propane - luckily we found an open general store and bought some (didn't think to buy serving ware while we were there)
matches - found a nice man who loaned a few
a second tent - just squished 5 in a two-man tent until the boys decided to sleep in the open
flashlights - luckily we had one headlamp and my trusty wind-up light
3 sets of church clothes - alex and kristen looked nice (well at least our clothes, not much could be said for the hair), angie, trevor and nate wore their sweats with pride and we got a lot of funny stares
sleeping pads -their loss
directions to the actual campground - thanks for the nice lady working late at the one hotel
firewood - no campfires for us, however, we still left with the smell
a camera - i have no pictures, angie got a few though
night one: we camped in the middle of nowhere, literally. we took a dirt road in about 45 minutes and there was not a soul to be found. turns out it was on a pretty cool overlook which we found in the morning.
saturday: we ate our cereal out of water bottles then hiked two slot canyons (spooky and peek-a-boo) which were very cool. i've never done anything like it before. in the afternoon we hiked up to calf creek falls, again very cool, very beautiful. hiking down the trail we entertained ourselves by making animal noises and impersonating friends who chose not to come.
night two: the campground had one spot open up which we gladly took (i was most happy to have some facilities) and went to bed fairly early after a warm meal and a very entertaining game of cards
sunday: we realized how beautiful the canyons down through the capitol reef area really are, stopped in the bustling metropolis of Salina for church, and made it home before the rain (a definite plus since we only had one windshield wiper on the passenger side)
moral of the story: i can camp and i can camp without all the gear i would have liked to have (not saying i'd want to do it again anytime soon). southern utah is more beautiful than i thought (some seriously amazing scenery). you can get a headache from laughing too hard :)
