CAMPFIRE TALES
Stars, S’mores, and Wet Socks
A Night Out Under the Stars ✨
Did I hear Paula Shablo asking about camping? My goodness, I can only laugh and say, “Ha! Those were the days.”
In an effort from my parents to encourage me to be more outdoorsy instead of staying indoors all summer reading books, my mom signed me up for an unforgettable two-day camping experience. What I mean by unforgettable should be more like unforgivable.
Joking aside, a lot of my camping days have given me stories to last for a lifetime.
The experience I both hated and loved was a precursor to all my other camping trips. Thinking I needed to prepare for my graduation camping trip in elementary school, my parents decided I should learn the ropes early, in fourth grade. Since my best bud had plans to travel abroad, I found myself with little choice.
One particular summer, my mom met some Japanese ladies who had daughters younger than me. Somehow, they thought it would be a great idea for us all to go on a summer camping trip together. The only reason I agreed was because it was supposed to be next to the ocean and under the stars — an irresistible allure.
Preparation for this first camping trip was tedious. I never realized we needed all those items on the list until two weeks before the trip:
- Unbreakable utensils: plate, cup, fork, spoon
- Sleeping bag
- Trash bags (Hefty ones)
- Roll of toilet paper
- Heavy jacket
- Pants
- Socks
- Medication
You’ll never guess what I appreciated bringing the most from that list. You might think it was the roll of toilet paper. Let’s just say I didn’t need it as much as expected since I ended up hiding behind trees and bushes rather than trekking to the distant red outhouse in the dark. Honestly, I only took a peep inside for a second, and it was disturbing to imagine how many people would be using this outhouse.
My day and evening activities at camp were straight out of a movie. The camp leaders organized activities for us, and dinner time was a pleasure with canned food and hot dogs. I particularly enjoyed toasting marshmallows for s’mores in the evening — that was the highlight of my camping day.
It was a melodious night, some leaders play the guitar, a harmonica, and sang songs. I had feared we were disturbing nature in the quiet evening hours. Eventually, when telling scary ghost stories came along, I sat back and vaguely remember them, fearing what might happen in the dark. Back then, my only smart device was my watch, which I checked frequently for the time. It felt like hours before we could finally settle into our sleeping bags by 11 PM.
Unfortunately, there were no tents, nor were they asked for on the to-bring list, but we did have the stars and enjoyed the night sky. The moon shone brightly amidst sparkling stars across the vast darkness that engulfed the ocean. The sound of ocean waves lulled us into deep slumber. Despite it being summer, the breeze was chilly. We all wore our jackets to bed.
The camp leader came to tuck us in, insisting we had our large trash bags ready. She showed us how to use two trash bags to protect our sleeping bags, which we had placed on dry grass to prevent any creepy crawlies from getting in, or so I had thought. I also had to translate for these talkative Japanese girls, who finally quieted down after a day of excitement. Retrospectively, I don’t know Japanese, so it was basically sign language of my own design.
I barely had a chance to peer out of my sleeping bag all night because of the cold. By early morning, around 6 AM, I woke up to a gust of wind and felt the damp, cold air on my face. As I tried to sit up, I realized the ground was damp, too. The trash bags covering my sleeping bag were wet.
Thankfully, those trash bags saved me, as my socks were immediately soaked when I put on my shoes. Who’d have known those trash bags were so invaluable? The ocean’s dewy night air had made everything damp; anything left out in the open was fair game.
Despite all this, I did manage to get some good sleep. The other girls were smarter than I was; somehow, they kept their shoes dry and had happy feet when we left camp.
My parents got an earful when they picked me up later that day. I’m sure they chuckled at my misadventures, but they never made me go on another camping trip like that again!
