I’m sitting here by the fire at my campsite writing this out. Well, the draft. THIS draft anyway. I did have another draft written up about how I thought this camping trip was going to go. The beginning part and a rough outline of ideas I expanded on. Lemme tell ya, I shouldn’t have even written that original draft because things don’t always go as planned. < number one lesson of the day folks.
I had lists prepared. In my excitement I made three lists. One was a rough draft list with no organization. The second was neater and more organized. And the third was a shopping list.
I followed the shopping list and then for some reason had enough faith in myself to pack my car without my meticulous list that would make sure I wouldn’t forget anything. Ha! I forgot things. Essential things. I forgot my cast iron skillet, socks, a spatula, garbage bags, paper towels, silverware, a plate, my air mattress, a hammer, a chair, food storage bags, and enough firewood. I can’t think of everything I forgot honestly.
Seriously. Y’all. Talk about a severe face palm?! AND. I had to make TWO Walmart trips, 30 minutes away from my campsite, because I also failed to realize I forgot my cooking and eating utensils until — you guessed it, it was time to cook dinner Friday night. What a great way to start off my trip. Negative Nancy was in tow.
So after mentally bashing myself for not using my list (I always make lists, thanks Ma!), I got what I needed from Walmart and proceeded to have some much needed alone time with my dog. Who, I believe, loves it as much as I do.
So after that entire debacle. I set up camp. My tent is awesome to set up. I bought a new one for this little trip (there’s a link at the bottom if you’d like to purchase!). It’s a brown and yellow (more like a mustard) Toogh tent. Awesome for two people on sleeping mats or one person on a twin air mattress. Don’t go with the full or queen, it’ll fit in this tent but there’s little room to maneuver or put your clothes. This tent is made out of high quality material and has great stitching on the seams. The poles are definitely tough and are actually kind of hard to bend into place because they’re so strong. The hexagon dome shape is fun and different and great in the wind! Friday night was a little windy and everything held in place nicely. The only thing that’s awkward about this tent is the little canopy when you enter. You have to disassemble the poles at night to close down the tent completely. So I don’t use the ”welcoming canopy” feature of this tent. I did however LOVE that there are two doors in this tent. You can enter from either side which is just so convenient. What wasn’t convenient was not having a hammer for my tent stakes. I had to step on them to secure them in the ground and proceeded to bend a couple. So, I’ll have to straighten those back out when I go home. Over all I’m a fan of this tent and can’t wait to use it more.
After I set up camp Friday afternoon I built a fire and had a conversation with Lilly about how we were going to have a good weekend despite the rough start. I decided to cook a steak, potatoes and green beans in a foil packet with some garlic and onion powder. The potatoes and green beans were phenomenal, but I have zero idea how the steak tasted because it fell on the ground and Lilly had it for dinner. Lilly was definitely having a good time, while I was feeling like this trip was a bust. Forgetting things? Dropping a STEAK? Ugh. C’mon!
But, I trudged on and made some s’mores (oh yeah, forgot my marshmallow poles too — thanks nature, for the awesome marshmallow stick). I sat by the fire for a couple hours and just relaxed. Once I had my fill of the fire and my toes were a little chilly I took care of the fire and then hopped in my tent, snuggled up in my sleeping bags and fell asleep cuddled up with my peanut. I slept like a rock. The cool night air and the toasty sleeping bag were a perfect combination. I was sleeping so well I didn’t wake up until 9 AM. It was relaxing. After we woke up, I started a fire and we ate some breakfast — bacon and eggs folks. Can’t go wrong there. Once both Lilly and I had our fill of our breakfast and coffee I got ready for a hike.
Lilly and I went on a short hike. I decided to hike the Red Fox Trail at Wolf Creek State Park. I chose this trail because the reviews on All Trails said it had remarkable views of Lake Shelbyville and it didn’t disappoint.
Looks like the perfect place to spend a day. Lilly and I enjoyed this view for about thirty minutes before we moved on through the forest. It was a beautiful trail that had some breathtaking views of the lake. I thought a lot on this trail about life and it’s misadventures. It was definitely a good morning hike. And I did it in my new boots! I purchased the Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof Amped Hiking Boot. It’s a tan boot with these awesome bright red laces. The laces aren’t too long, they’re just the right length to get the boots tight and to tie a nice bow. They are extremely comfortable and breathable. The boot is made out of leather, suede and mesh with a rubber sole. These boots are extremely light, which is great for long hikes (short ones too). The sole is perfect for rough terrain and is rated for hiking in the snow as well. So I’ll have to let you know how they hold up in the winter with the snow and ice, as well as how warm they are. But, for summer hiking I would say they’re pretty close to perfect. I did walk around along the shore of the lake and my feet didn’t get wet, so the waterproof claim is true! The price is pretty decent on Amazon, coming in at $79.95. Over all — the Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge boot is perfect for hiking and should be in everyone’s closet!
After playing in the forest and enjoying the views of the lake, Lilly and I headed back to camp to enjoy the day by the fire and we played some frisbee as well. Lilly totally enjoys camping and being outside. She’s such a happy dog! And she loves to watch everyone. She may be little but nothing escapes her attention when we’re camping or out on the trail. She’s an amazing watch dog! I love bringing her along with me.
For dinner we had potatoes, green beans and chicken. It was to die for. This time Lilly got her OWN chicken breast and I still got to eat mine. So, Saturday dinner (all day Saturday actually) went a lot smoother with minimal hiccups.
Saturday night I had another s’more, you kind of have to when you’re camping don’t you think? Kind of like a tradition of sorts. Don’t mind my nails. They were pretty pre-camping (Color Street for the win for mostly holding up to my camping trip! If you’d like to purchase any head on over to this link → HERE!)
Sunday morning I woke up, made breakfast again and packed up camp. It went way easier than I thought it was going to go. Even the air mattress was really easy to fold! However the tent proved to be troublesome. I couldn’t figure out how to get it to come down “in 60 seconds” as advertised. So, I had to adjust a bit and I eventually rolled the tent into a shape that fit in the tent bag. Easy to put up, more difficult to take down and put away.
All in all, even after a rough start, I had an awesome mini camping trip. I had a lot of alone time with my pup. I got to sleep outside in the fresh air. And I got to go on a hike that was pretty perfect. I can’t wait to go again before the snow flies.
Until next time,
Felicia
