I'm off!

Well, after a quiet Fourth of July evening at home with Hickory the Wonder Dog, I'm off for three nights of camping and kayaking in the Adirondacks tomorrow.  I hear tell they have bears in them thar woods, so I figure it's the perfect time to resurrect "The Great Smoky Mountains... or... The Second Worst Camping Trip Ever".

Since they do post warnings there about black bears, I hereby promise NOT to keep food in my tent or use Ben Gay during this trip.  

If I get eaten by a bear, it's been great blogging with you!  (And if I win Miss Yvonne's contest you can bury the gum with what's left of me.)

This is Chauncey... I met him on my last camping trip.

He's definitely not as scary as a bear

but he does have kinda scary eyes.

P.S.  Here are some other harrowing tales of camping you might enjoy while I'm away....  Phantom Canyon, Sweet Dreams, The Killer Raccoon of Kejimkujik.

To Camp or Not to Camp? That is the Question

The first week of January I went on line and reserved a couple of campsites for the summer. Now my first camping trip is a day away and the forecast is calling for thunderstorms the next 5 days.

Hmmmm....

With my pristine record of uneventful camping trips*,

perhaps I should reconsider.

The original plan called for launching my kayak from my campsite and paddling around the islands. Would that still be relaxing during a raging thunderstorm? Would I be blown off course before I would be hit by lightning? Rain and static always make my hair frizzy, so that could be hazardous.

Then there's the gentle flicker of the campfire at night that's so mesmerizing. A thunderstorm might make it a bit trickier to get the fire started and wouldn't necessarily be conducive to keeping the flames flickering. Smores might be out of the question.

Of course, there's always the peaceful serenity of gazing at the stars as I look out of the open flap of my tent. Perhaps if the flood from the rain doesn't float my airbed right out of the tent, there might be hope for that. At least then there'd be nothing between me and the stars... except for a few thunderheads

So, to camp or not to camp? What shall it be?

* For your further enlightenment, I suggest you consider the following blog entries: "Phantom Canyon", "The Great Smoky Mountains" and "Sweet Dreams", as well as the "Killer Raccoon of Kejimkujik."