This was our last weekend that we were going to camp. We went up yesterday and had a gorgeous day. We came home today though. It has been raining since 8 am. It is not showing any signs of stopping.
I usually don't mind some rain when out, but we cancelled our plans this past weekend for Pictured Rocks in the UP due to 1.5 inches of rain and steady 25mph winds. Backpacking the cliffs exposed with those conditions would not be fun for three days. Took the camper out instead.
The rain usually doesn't get me down when I am camping unless it's a steady downpour all day long. When it's like that I try and find something to do inside the camper. Of course if I'm tent camping that is a whole different story. I'll definitely be cutting my trip short then.
I don't mind warm rain while camping. I think it can be quite relaxing. We usually just chill under a pavilion or something for a bit. I will grab a book and enjoy it some.
Nevada Day tent party tomorrow. Rain and snow in the forecast. So what. Bad weather makes for good parties and good trips because it brings people together. They remember the bad weather experiences.
Every gathering I ever attend it wont be long before some one starts with "remember that time...... it almost always has rain involved.
I remember rain. I remember digging a trench around my tent so the flow wouldn't engulf it. I remember being so wet that I could only breathe by pitching my hat downward to allow a small window where I could get air not filled with water. I also remember being thirsty.
A couple of years ago I was elk hunting up by Idaho in the old wall tent. We had some serious thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain for 18 hours. The wind was around 40-50 at 8,500 feet. I will never forget it. Reminds me of John Muir climbing tall pine trees during storms just to see what it was like. I used to live in western Washington. It rains a lot there especially in the mountains. I was amazed at all the people that would come home early "because it rained." If you live in wet country, get set up for it and stay out there.
Some of the best hunting has been in bad weather. The deer and elk hold up and are easier to sneak up on. Hunters usually have their minds on the weather instead of hunting and walk right past bedded animals. And there is nothing in the world like a late afternoon fire, hunkered down out of the wind, waiting for the rest of the party to gather, sharing that last candy bar. Camaraderie at its finest.
Some of the best memories of my life are hunkered down in the old wall tent with my Dad and 2 brothers with a couple of adult beverages with the stove going in a snow storm a long way from anything. We have hunted and packed in CO, WY, ID, AZ, and WA.
