Rough it in the wild outdoors

This last weekend was the Stake's Father-Son camp-out at a Boy Scout camp outside of Tremonton Utah. I left early from work on Friday, but we still didn't get out the door and heading north until after 6:00 p.m. Back when I was a kid, it seemed like packing for a camp-out was an exercise of constant reduction of "stuff" as we typically hiked to our camping sites, but with these Stake sponsored events, we drive right up to the tent site. Needless to say, I didn't feel the need to conserve on supplies or gear. We packed as if we were going to be spending several days, not a mere 15 hours away from home.

At the camp-site, we first lit the grill so that the coals would be ready for grilling after the tent was up. Next, we pitched the tent and with the help of some fellow ward members, we put up a gazebo. I was warned before coming up that the camp was famous for lots of dust, mosquitoes and no shade. The gazebo, with its mosquito netting, was my solution to the insects and shade. I placed the gazebo in front of the tent, so we could pass in and out of the tent directly into the gazebo. I also brought up chairs, table and lantern. When the set up was complete, it was like a home away from home.

Dinner consisted of grilled cheese burgers, Cheetos, Sunny-D (Dr. Pepper for me) and Chips Ahoy cookies for desert. Dylan brought up his telescope and we entertained a few other children with a shaky view of the moon. Just before bedtime, the wind picked up again and this time, the canopy was being lifted up like a parachute. I opted to take it down myself rather than chase it down and pull it out of the river at 3:00 a.m.

The tent was a small three man tent and Dylan volunteered to sleep in the middle as he was sure he was the least likely to flop around. That was one of the worst sleeps I ever had as Dylan flopped from one end of the tent to the other. At one point, I considered sending him to the car to sleep - or at least me.

The next morning I awoke early to go report for kitchen duty. I had volunteered to help with breakfast and was in charge of making scrambled eggs. I have to report that they were edible, but I was frustrated that I couldn't get the presentation of them right until the end. Presentation of food, to me, is just as important as the food itself.

We broke camp at 9:30 or so and headed south taking a slight detour down highway 89 south of Brigham City at a fruit stand to pick up some fresh fruit. We were back home and unpacked by noon.