Wednesday, August 09, 2006
 

The Camping Life--Not


Hi, it's Leslie. Everybody, I'm okay. I've gotten lots of emails from folks who saw me on TV. Things are kind of settling back to normal here. At least I'm working on that. Thanks to everyone for your concern.

So meanwhile, it's summertime here in Kanner Lake, which to some of my friends means "camping season." They love to go out for a weekend and sleep in a tent, far away from showers, flush toilets and, most importantly, the lattes at Java Joint.

Are they insane?

Crazy me, I actually tried joining them once last year. Bad idea. Terrible, in fact. Have you seen how many bugs live in those out-of-the-way campgrounds? I covered myself with repellent and still they buzzed around me like I was the choicest meal in the entire world.

And that wasn't the only problem: Three girls in one tent, and we all packed so much into our backpacks that there was hardly room for us to sleep at night. I was squished into a corner for six hours straight. Then it gets light so early, and the guys woke us up by banging pots and pans together. At five a.m. that sound goes right through your head.

And let's get this straight--I can't stand fish! Each guy caught a few, and one of the gals got her lucky beginner catch as well. The smell of those things in the cooler was bad enough, but then one guy decided it would be cool to wave the slimiest one in my face. I swear I couldn't get the smell off me for a week.

Then there was the raccoon that decided to pay a friendly visit the second night. You'd think the guys would know the rule regarding food and garbage, but no. They left out scraps of both, and we found it spread everywhere by morning. Like we'd gone to sleep in a dump, I swear. We must have walked an entire mile picking up scraps so the next campers wouldn't have the same problem.

We're just lucky a bear didn't smell the stuff.

Okay, I'll admit it was cool to see a moose at the other side of the lake, and the osprey circling for their next meal. I even saw a red fox run by. I'd never seen one up close before.

All the same, this summer it's town life for me. I've had enough trauma to last awhile, anyway. I'm staying by the lake, sunbathing and writing my articles. Most of all, drinking my biggie lattes from Java Joint. In fact, it's time to go get one now. Catch you all later!

By the way, if you've had a camping experience of your own, I'd love to hear about it. Promise not to say you're crazy if you liked it. (Even though you are.)

-- Leslie Brymes

Posted by ~ Bailey Truitt @ 7:00 AM
Comments:
I hate camping! I can't take my hair flattener, and make-up's hard to put on with a dirty face. Yuck!
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 10:58 AM
 
Nothing like camping to get you back to basics, I say. Leslie, you're just too soft. When we were kids, my sisters and I went camping a lot with our parents. Still love it today. It's a little easier, with the bug spray and whatnot.
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:01 AM
 
I went camping once in my life. Backpacking, acually. With my new fiance. He told me it would be a heavenly experience. It was not. The ground was hard, the food was awful, and the bugs were the worst.

In spite of this misguidance on his part, I married him anyway. He never led me astray again.
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:43 PM
 
I'm with R.J., camping's great. Except for that one time we got caught in a thunderstorm, the tent blew away, and the bears seemed to want to take it out on us.

Camping's for the adventuresome.
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 4:31 PM
 
Hey Leslie, You know I love camping, but even I need a few luxuries to survive it, not the least of which is an air mattress. It's just fine with me if you stay close to home. When the next big story breaks (though I hope it isn't too soon after the recent unpleasantries), I want you here- juiced up on lattes and ready to go (and not smelling like fish.)
Jared Moore
Posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:49 PM
 
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