The Chocolate Chip Country

Well, back again early. The weather in the mountains is colder than we'd prepared for, and I had a day when I had a great big migraine, so we shortened the trip.

It has done me a world of good. I have walked quite a few miles in the past week. I feel better. I look better in the mirror.

It's strange that a vacation where I got up at 7 in the morning almost every morning and did chores every day and toiled over hills should be so relaxing and wonderful. Camping is a boon to me. There are people in this world who will never understand that. There are others who understand it all too well.

Once the thunderstorm had blown over and the sun came out again, I went shopping for camping gear.

Oddly enough, we didn't have a tent. All the tents at the Exchange were 4-man or larger, so I hied myself to the Dick's Sporting Goods and oogled their canvas*.

At the same time as I was browsing, a trio of adults were there, looking for tents for a Boy Scout troop. As we were discussing the pros and cons of various tents, I mentioned that even the 3 person tents were really too big for just myself and my husband. They responded with a comment about gear.

And that's when I realized: backpacking changes how you camp. Even if you're not backpacking, it becomes strange to think about stashing gear inside a tent. Tents are for sleeping and changing clothes. Keeping things in the tent just makes for a messy tent.

The backpacking tents at the store cost about five times what the normal ones cost. They use expensive materials that are lighter, because every single ounce counts when you have to carry it on your back. When you backpack, you treat tents with care. It is a magic item that keeps you dry and out of the wind at night. That's precious; you wouldn't want to ruin it by using it for some other purpose and then find yourself with nothing to keep you from getting soaked tomorrow night. So, you don't walk in and out of a tent all the time and you don't keep a lot of gear inside. And, honestly, these habits will make an ordinary tent last longer, too.

I ended up purchasing an ordinary 2-person tent. We're doing 'kitchen sink' camping, and aren't concerned about weight. My backpacking experience influenced even that purchase, though, as I hunted for a tent that was simple enough for even one person to erect quickly. Just in case.

I forgot to check how much rope we have. Well, that's a task for tomorrow. I'll need to set up the tent to make sure it's in good order before we leave, too.


*Tents were once all made of canvas. They aren't anymore, except for the industrial-strength, army-surplus tents often used at Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps. Such tents may have been a well-known feature of my youth, but I wouldn't want to put one up and take it down again on a regular basis.