We interrupt all these travel posts to talk about something a bit closer to home. This one is about an August weekend camping in the rain at Ohanapecosh Campground in Mount Rainier National Park. I was really excited because, in 17 years together, Melissa and I had never been camping. In fact, Melissa has never been camping in life… or at least, that she remembered. Part of the reason we never went is because I believed camping had to be in the back country and Melissa wanted a proper bathroom. I finally caved and reserved a tent site six months in advance, which you generally have to because Pacific Northwesters are all crazy about it and they go that far in advance.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and it rained a lot that weekend; the first rain we’d gotten in quite a while. I don’t think we would have gone had we A) not reserved so far in advance, and B) conned some friends into going with us. They were very good sports and joined us, despite the impending rain. The weekend consisted of a short hike, a drive up to Paradise, the challenge of waterproofing a 15 year old tent with tarps, and starting a campfire with an umbrella. We probably won’t camp in rain like that ever again, but I think we’ve started a cool new tradition. Now we get to spend the winter updating our gear. Fun!

P.S. – Go here if you do not want a cell signal for the weekend. It’s like living in the 90s. :-)