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First Camping Trip

Monday, September 15th, 2014 Leave a comment Go to comments

This past weekend I went on my very first camping trip. I went with my friend Alston and his girlfriend Stephanie. We went to the Keenig Campsite, which is about an hour from here in the Tillamook State Forest. Originally we had planned to go fishing one morning, but that trip turned into a camping trip.

Somehow I wasn’t notified that they were planning on going out there Friday afternoon. I left Friday after work. I did leave work about half an hour early though. When I got there they had already started the fire and were preparing to cook dinner. Alston and I got my tent set up and we ate dinner. That night we stayed warm by the fire and chatted the whole night. We didn’t have enough light to do much else. I think we all underestimated how cold it would get considering how hot it was during the day. We went through all of our firewood that night. None of us really slept well that night. My sleeping bag did a decent job of keeping me warn, but it could have been better.
camp site

The next morning we ate breakfast and went to get more firewood. We overcompensated quite a bit. We walked around a nearby camping area and visited a museum there. Once we got back to our campsite, we went fishing. Back in the day when I went fishing with my cousins and uncle, I just used a simple pole. This time I had a rod and a reel. It took a little getting used to. I could never get the bait out far enough to do much good. The good spots were already taken. It was fun to get some experience using the equipment though. Next time will be better. After not sleeping well the night before and being in the sun fishing for too long, we were tired so we had lunch and rested a while before playing cards. Alston wasn’t feeling well, so he rested some more while Stephanie and I went on a good walk. After that I was tired, but thankfully it was time for dinner. After dinner we chilled by the fire for a while and called it a night early.
Keenig Creek

The next morning we had some breakfast, packed up all of our things and left. We didn’t come close to using all the wood, so I brought the rest home. I might actually use my fireplace this winter. I was so glad for my heater and cell reception on the way home and my shower once I got home.
empty campsite

I had a great time on my first camping trip. I definitely want to do it again, but probably not until next spring or summer. I learned some lessons. I know there are a few things I want to buy before I go again. A lot of people had their dogs with them, so I might take Reese with me next time. I’m sure he’d enjoy it out there.