Camping Adventure

This weekend I went camping by Bear Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim.  There were 6 of us, although Eric slept so much I was pretty convinced there were only 5 of us.  I think he made it home but it’s possible he is still passed out by the campfire. 

We had so much fun and it left all of us wondering why it doesn’t happen more often.  We left early Saturday and came home Sunday afternoon so it was a quick trip, but perfect nonetheless.  Sometimes that is all it takes to feel like you got away. 

Jason and I drove up together in my truck and I made a quick stop when we crossed the Salt River and saw wild horses.  There is a herd of about 100 mustangs in the Tonto National Forest (about the size of Connecticut) and they are hydrated by the Lower Salt and Lower Verde rivers.  This is only the second time I have seen the wild horses on the river.  It was a great way to start the adventure.

It was a beautiful drive to the Rim, as always.  We stopped at the edge to make a phone call, the Rim gets great cell service, and I was taken aback by the cold weather. What a shock coming from the Valley!  It was super windy and freezing and it wasn’t long before my legs were covered in goosebumps. I am always amazed at what a difference a couple hours in the car can make in temperature.  When we found the perfect camping spot I quickly changed into my jeans and flannel.

Part of the fun of camping is setting up.  I love figuring out where everything will go, it’s part of my OCDness which Jason noticed pretty quickly.  I love seeing everyone chip in and do their part.  It’s like we enjoy the work, like we don’t do enough in our daily lives and this survival in the outdoors thing really revs us up.  It’s a primal drive.  Someone’s setting up the tent, another person is collecting firewood, and someone else is unfolding the chairs and table.  Before we knew it, it was time to relax (drink and eat). 

I think more than twice I heard Jason say “The only reason to go camping is the food.”  Maybe it is part of the survival instinct, but we ate like pigs in the woods.  Excessively and terribly.  Junk food and lots of it.  Just straight out carb-loading for no good reason. My genius self brought a few Filiberto’s burritos, wrapped them in tin foil and plastic bags for the cooler, then threw them in the coals when it was time to eat.  Delicious idea, if I might say so myself.  The others had your traditional camping fare: hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers, and baked beans.  I helped myself to that as well, after my burrito and before my s’mores. 

We made a little excursion to the lake where I hiked down treacherously steep mountains with a boat on my head and Jason yelling at me to go faster and to not be scared.  He is so good at giving advice.  I was still breathing when we eventually made it to the bottom of the hill so we hopped in the boat to see if a lake monster would eat me.  It didn’t, but I was scared the whole time.  I didn’t admit it in the moment because I feel like talking about it makes it true, but shit I am terrified of being in the middle of a deep dark body of water and the creatures that lurk underneath  I was just waiting for something to burst out of the water and snatch me from the boat.  Every little bump under the rubber raft had my heart racing.  I tried to paddle us back to shore but it became increasingly clear, as we turned in circles, that I am not equipped for such a sport.  My left arm is totally gimp.  It has no muscle and no coordination which simply does not work when trying to propel a boat forward.  I almost freaked out when Jason took over and we narrowly escaped the depths of Bear Canyon with our lives and limbs (except for my left arm) intact. Julie and Jeremy went next and made it to the other side of the lake while I watched their giggling and googly eyes from the shore.  Once that got boring I decided to harass some crawdads.

We played a rousing game of Flippy Cup, Julie and I were the team captains.  It really doesn’t matter the way we play because we rotate once around the table after each round so that the teams are always different.  But I have never been team captain and you better believe I loved that kind of power.  Flippy Cup is a must when I camp. 

If you have never sat around a campfire you are seriously missing out.  There is nothing else like it.  The fire is hypnotizing with its crackling and constant motion, glowing embers, changing colors.  The trees stand like tall dark towers, silhouetted by the stars, and you feel like your little circle of the world is the only place that exists.   Jeremy told us that before fire there was really no progress; it wasn’t until the discovery of fire that people started discussing ideas.  Before fire, they went to bed when it was dark and the daylight hours were spent fighting for survival. 

While sitting around the fire, we looked up to see the sky filled with stars.  We decided to walk together to the dirt road, where there weren’t as many trees blocking the view, to get a better look.  Away from the fire, the stars glowed even brighter.  As we emerged as a group from the trees we all stood in the middle of the road turning around in awe at the star-filled sky.  For a good minute we all muttered things like, “Oh my God, it’s so beautiful” and “Woooow” and “Holy shit.”  Then without discussing it we just laid down in the middle of that dirt road in the woods and stared up at the stars in silence, side-by-side.  We lay like that for a good fifteen minutes taking in the stars that stretched to the horizon and amazed by the depth and the milky galaxies.  It was truly one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had and one that, even in the moment, I knew would become a pure and cherished memory. 

We finished off the night the way any good camping trip is finished, with s’mores and inebriation.  Greg put a little heater in the tent as we all got settled in our sleeping bags.  I was worried I was going to be freezing, but I was so comfortable and slept so well thanks to Greg’s amazing job cleaning all the rocks from under our tent.  I was the last to wake up.  I only had one time in the night that I heard something like footsteps.  I sat silent for a minute straining to listen, then decided I didn’t want to be the one to investigate so I pretended I heard nothing and closed my eyes again. 

In the morning we cooked up some breakfast burritos with the tin foil/coal method and packed up.  Befiore heading home we stopped at the Mogllon Rim and stayed for more than an hour.  I don’t know how long but long enough for the left side of my body to get sunburned.  I had a great moment when I remembered I carried bubbles in my truck, along with my survival kit.  I knew they would come in handy someday and they really made for some great innocent fun on the Rim.   I felt like a kid again and even said at one point, “I love playing outside.” 

The Mogollon Rim is one of my favorite places in the world.  It was the background of my summers which I spent camping with my family.  I love sitting on the edge and looking out at the vast mountain ranges covered in pines.  It reminds me that this is the REAL world.  Not the building and roads and lights, but dirt and rocks and trees and sky.  This is what’s real.

I had the best weekend with my friends, thank you to everyone who came along and made it memorable.  I am starting to get closer to my moving date and that means I only have a certain number of weekends left.  At my best estimate 9; 4 of which already have plans.  I couldn’t have chose a better way to spend this past weekend!