Finally! I decided to head out for another camping adventure. I selected Codorus State Park because it was relatively close by, and I could combine camping with a few other play-time activities.
Saturday
On Saturday, I headed up I-83, stopping at Shrewsbury Market and a farm festival. I had a marvelous lunch of roast pork, sauerkraut, sweet potatoes. And bought lots of fruit and baked goodies at an orchard/farm stand. This camping life isn't exactly roughing it ...
Atmosphere / Campground Description
Codorus State Park was dramatically different than Greenridge State Forest. The park surrounds a reservoir and much of the "campground" is dedicated to RVs. The tent sites are a little off by themselves, but relatively close together. This was nothing like the isolated, private sites in the forest. I'm beginning to learn the difference between back-country camping and front-country/organized campgrounds.
But, OK - I can enjoy sleeping outdoors in nature, and begin learning all the skills I really should have anyway.
The tent sites were close to a lake, very pretty, very calm & relaxing. Which really is what I needed anyway.
Again, I didn't attempt building a campfire, relying on cold food and snacks.
Bathhouse: the campground had a bathhouse! I didn't use the shower, but it was nice to have a place to freshen up.
Tent Assembly - sort of
Since it's been like six months since my last (and first) camping experience, I could not remember how to properly set up my tent. I had all these poles and gadgets and no clue where they were supposed to go. I got the tent up in some way, but not the right way. It was kind of like just propped up. [Note to Self: review tent assembly instructions before heading out ...]
Saturday
Went on a nice hike around the lake - details are in a separate post.
Sunset:
Night
The night was clear. Lots of stars again. A wisp of a cloud off in the distance. It was warm, so I kept the fly off my tent so that I could be as close to nature as possible. For the *Adventure*.
Again, no noise. Very odd. Very still and silent. Except for one time, a bird let out a huge "CAW". It was so loud that I swear it was a super-dinosaur bird right at my campsite! I swear!
Nothing for the rest of the night. Until the pre-dawn cacophony of birds. All those years, nestled quietly in my house, I had no idea that birds can be so noisy BEFORE the sun comes up ...
Sunday .... ooops, the weather has changed
Crawled out of my tent on Sunday morning to find an enormously cloudy sky, looking like it would downpour at any minute. Realized then that I need to learn more about weather patterns, as I had no clue the night before that it was going to rain. And I didn't have my tent fly on - that would've been *fun* taking care of that in the dark and rain.
Sunrise:
Sleeping in the Rain
I walked down to & around the lake, took photos, read & wrote a bit. About 8:30am, it started raining. I wasn't in the mood to pack up in the rain, so I put the fly on my tent, threw my sleeping bag & pillows back in, and settled in my tent for a nap in the rain.
Have you even slept outdoors in the rain??? Oh my gosh - It was the best nap I've ever had. If I wasn't hooked on sleeping outdoors before, I was then.
Takeaway
A very pleasant, relaxing experience. About as safe as one could be. Not a primitive experience, but an opportunity to at least be outdoors as much as possible. On the way home, I went bike riding -- and that's when it occurred to me that camping can be even more than the solitude of nature, it's also a base from which to do other fun stuff outdoors! Less driving!
Merit Badge / Skills
-- Almost flunked on the tent-assembly skill, but got it up, and got the fly on. But a *star* for knowing what the footprint was this time, and using it.
-- No attempt at a campfire ...
[After that trip, I decided to invest in a slightly bigger tent. One that had more "substance" to it, so I would be a little safer from dinosaur-birds (lol!) and I'd have more room if I had to stay in the tent all day in bad weather. I ended up with a REI Mountain-3 tent, which I dearly love. My home-away-from-home.]
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My Gear List
Sticking with Minimalism. Well, except for the bag of personal care items.
- Shelter: tent, fly, footprint
- Bed: sleeping bag, and a pillow from home. :)
- Other Essentials: headlamp; flashlight; mini-compass/whistle; map
- Bathroom: toilet paper, wipes, spade
- Personal Care: woah! Knowing there'd be a bath house and I could put anything that I wanted in my car ... well, I've ended up with a tote bag of: soap, washcloth & towel, toothpaste & toothbrush, facial moisturizer, body moisturizer, feet-pampering supplies, shampoo & conditioner, nail clipper. I think the list goes on & on.
- First Aid: band-aids
- Food: Still just cold-food supplies: sandwich-type items; yogurt; fruit and nut snack stuff. On Sunday morning, I was really wishing for a cup of coffee -again. ... Brought a jug or two of water.
- Clothing: the basic hiking/outdoor stuff and outerwear
- Hiking/Biking Gear: hiking shoes; camelbak. Bike, helmet, tools, pump, shoes, etc.
- Downtime Amusement: my Kindle; brought other hiking books to plan more adventures
Notes about the Gear:
- I loved being able to bike ride while on my Adventure. But the bike and gear takes up a lot of space in the car & generates just more stuff to move around when packing, setting up, and dismantling
- Pillows: sweet!
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