Two Hats, a Tent and $75
So the birthday came and went without much fanfare this year.
No party to speak of (though I did get play pool with Claire, that was delightful). A couple dozen facebook shout outs. Two hats, a tent and $75. It will take a portion of my cunning to use these gifts and turn them into something actionable and awesome. Clearly, the answer to the question that nobody asks is that I must go on a $75, cold weather camping trip. But before I ponder how to stretch $75 into a fully self sufficient trip, a little more about the history of me and tents.
I grew up luke-warm to camping. I never really liked spending time alone with my family without an easy and obvious distraction to interaction like a television or local friends. So family trips in the tent, though few and far between, were a bit of a chore. But when I met my ex, one of her many passions was canoeing and camping. Not long after her and I met, we set our sights on a canoe camping trip to Crotch Lake some where in Ontario. I was skeptical, but eager to explore new places and camp for the first time as an adult, and without my parents. No need for details, but the trip was (for lack of a better word) magical. The weather was beautiful on the lake as we camped on our own island. Much of our time was spent fucking and playing with fire in our secluded hide away. Fucking and fire are two of my favorite things. I could fuck and burn things for weeks – nay months! – without getting bored.
More than anything else, I loved the undivided attention. For a brief moment in time, we were actually the only people in the world to each other. No electricity, no work, no distractions. Just fucking and fire.
Not long after that camping trip, I bought my then girlfriend a tent for Christmas. I spent my entire Christmas bonus on the tent, and I couldn’t have been happier to give it to her. We got one trip in that tent, to the Georgian Bay. The successful formula was repeated. Fuck. Fire.
When we broke up, she took the tent.
Time has elapsed, hearts have mended to a greater or lesser extent. And now I have another tent.
$75 will get me pretty far on my 1979 Honda. For about $10 I should be able to get to West Virginia and back for a meditative weekend trip to the mountains. That will leave me $65 for a tarp, food, and stuff to light and poke fires. I will need my hats to help me brave the cold. And I will need all of my fortitude to brave the elements alone, as I am now.
This trip will be an affirmation of my current state of life and where I hope it can go. To a place of simplicity, honesty, self respect and love. Now, I hope I can actually build up the courage and planning skills to make this happen.
