Camping 101

Camping always seems like the best idea until you wake up in a tent, you're covered in sweat, you realize you have to clean up an entire camp site, and everything you are loading into your car is covered in mud.

Over the weekend I went camping with about 10 people. It was unique. Unique is a good way to put it. The camping trip evolved before it ever started. I initially put the trip together, but by the time we were leaving I was still discovering who was going, where we were going and what we were going to be doing while we were there. The night only got more interesting ...

I learned a few very important lessons from this camping trip, some of which I think could be very helpful to future campers.

1) If you want to listen to music on your camping trip, bring a radio. You may think your car radio will do the trick, but you may have to park a distance from the site.

a) If parking far away is necessary, do not attempt to bring the car closer.
You were forced to park far away for a reason.

b) If for some reason you do attempt to get closer and get stuck, do not
attempt to dig the car out with your bare hands. It won't work.

2) Don't run your Jeep into a tree. Just don't do it.

a) If for some reason you decide to run your Jeep into a tree, the best time to
do it is not with 2 strangers in the car.

b) Remember to buckle up.

3) If you think there is any possibility that you may vomit that night, don't eat
hot dogs.

4) Choose your fellow campers wisely.

a) All campers should get along and there should be no camper-to-camper tension.

b) All campers should intend to remain at the camp site the entire night. The
camper who goes home in the middle of the night because of sleeping difficulty
makes for potentially frustrating travel arrangements in the morning.

Enjoy yourself and happy camping!