Summer Camping

I sat in our packed GMC Yukon, staring into the black and mysterious abyss of the surrounding forest. With no sound but the rain pouring down, hitting the windshield like cannons. My sister, cousins and I were trying to get comfortable in the seats of the car. There we would spend the rest of the night waiting out the rain. It was getting stuffy and we felt as if we were nearly suffocating from breathing in the same oxygen over and over again. It was at this point that I realized that camping is not for everyone.

My mom, siblings and I along with my aunt and cousins had begun our adventure on Sunday earlier that week and the twelve of us were planning to stay until the upcoming Sunday. It was now Thursday and I was already miserable, as any teenager would be with the loss of cell phone service. I was cut off from my social life, ten miles off of the highway, and I had to endure it for a whole week. The day had been the same as all the others since we had arrived. Early awakening from the monstrous sqawking crows; the aroma of breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and if I was lucky, leftover French toast. As the afternoon crept in, so did the dark, gray, and gloomy clouds. At first it was a light sprinkle, but by early evening the raindrops were multiplying and growing even larger. The moms were preparing our spaghetti dinner, which was spent in our tents sheltered from the rain.

It was after dinner that we started experiencing the worst. As the rain started to come down even harder, the tents began to leak and flood. My cousin and sister's tent went first; soaking the mattress and sleeping bags. Sopping wet sheets, even shoes and socks. There was no hope of being dry for the rain had just begun. Fortunately for my cousin and I, our tent had only leaked down the side leaving just the edges of our mattress wet. Not so fortunate for my mother and aunt, whose mattress was like an island oasis in the middle of their tent. No matter how much hope we had, the rain was not letting up.

Wet dirt and the stench of waste from the nearby out house all around. We began packing up our things because our mothers had decided that if got any worse we'd consider checking into a hotel. At last there was hope. A warm, comfortable bed, a toasty hot shower, and of course, cell phone service. We loaded into the vehicles, girls in one, boys in the other, while the moms cleaned and tried to save as much as possible. We enjoyed the radio until the car battery died. Since there was still a chance of leaving, my aunt and brother risked their lives to jumpstart the vehicle in the pouring rain. We were able to start the car again, but were no longer able to listen to music because we couldn't let the battery die again.

After enduring another hour or so, my hope was shattered when my aunt came to tell us, "We are going to stay here and wait it out."

Those words echoed in my mind for the rest of the night. We were stuck here. All of the girls got out our Bibles to find some encouraging words. One of the first verses we came upon was about the rain being a blessing. That was like a hard slap in the face. We had been complaining, too ignorant to realize how great this rain actually was. Regardless of its blessings we were still miserable. We couldn't go anywhere. I slept upright in the driver's seat of our vehicle. Perhaps the worst night of sleep in my entire life for I got little of it. Thankfully, we had more hands to help clean up in the morning. My dad and uncle had driven up to meet us late that night and managed to find a place to sleep; dad in his car and my uncle in my cousin's and my tent.

I awoke to the pitter-patter if rain still. Our camp and everything in it was still dripping wet. It was about five o'clock in the morning and my eyes were burning. We stayed in the car trying to catch a few more hours of sleep which eluded us. At about seven o'clock we decided to get up and eat breakfast. As the morning went on, the rain had slowed, and slowed, and slowed, until it stopped. Finally, my torture had ended. But only long enough for us to rinse out the muddy tents and rebuild them. My dad and uncle strategically placed and staked the tents having hope that it would allow less water in the event of another downpour. Of course it did start to rain again. I felt as if I was in a nightmare that would never end. It kept coming back like a nagging fly, but for now it was just a sprinkle.

The girls spent midday and early afternoon playing tactical board games awaiting our turn for fishing with my uncle. When the time finally arrived for us to fish, my aunt drove us down to the lake to drop us off and pick up the boys. As we waited on the peaceful shores for them to pull the boat in, it started to rain intensely. It was almost more powerful than the night before and lightning was flashing all around. I had to think twice before entering this death trap. Here we were, soaking wet in a metal boat, holding up metal rods in the middle of the lake, with lightning striking nearer and nearer. Our quest for that one fish was a failed attempt; we left empty-handed. Friday evening was approaching and I knew that I only had to endure one more day for we were leaving Sunday morning.

I cannot recall what happened on Saturday because my day was spent packing and dwelling in the excitement of returning home. Sunday morning came, but so did all the camp clean-up. We had to wash out all of the grimy, stinky tents. This was no where near as exciting as it sounds. After helping with the cleaning, all I could do was sit and wait while my uncle meticulously packed the trailer. My mind was running at what seemed like five thousand miles per hour. What was I going to do first when I got home? My pleasant daydreams were interrupted when my uncle yelled, "Let's hit the road!" This, of course was even more pleasant for me to hear. I was finally getting out of this pit of despair.

As we drove down the mountain I turned on my cell phone, anxiously waiting and watching for the moment when I got five bars. My heart jumped when I heard that "Bloop!" My first text message had arrived, followed by roughly thirty more. I had my life back and everyone in it. I sent text messages to all my friends just to let them know that I was still alive.

Although I was excited to leave, the traffic was not so thrilling. Sunday was the designated departure day. It seemed like the rest of the state of Arizona was on the same road as we were. It took a couple hours and we made a pit stop at Chili's, but I arrived at home at last.

I have never been so excited to step into my home. I finally took that hot shower that I had taken for granted before camping. I changed my smoke-filled clothes and gave myself a spa treatment. When I got into my warm bed that night, not at all cold or wet, I came to a conclusion: camping was not something that I wished to experience again, especially in such unpredictable conditions.