My first camping experience
On a warm summer afternoon in Minnesota in the middle of a huge lake navigating aimlessly in a kayak, a sense of calmness descended upon me, soaking in the moment that I had often found myself visualizing. The quietness of that moment isn’t justified by a mere string of words. The relative serenity experienced is significantly higher when since it was my first time on a kayak. The complete journey of going out there, renting the kayak, dragging it to the water, shakily stepping into it and wading past the weeds on the edge of the lake to finally get to the middle is one that clearly had my heartbeat racing. This is my recollection of my first experience of camping, near Lake Itasca in the summer of 2019!
The only other incident that portrayed a similar structure of adrenaline racing, exhilarating moments suddenly followed by quiet and peaceful moments was when I had gone skydiving a year ago, in the summer of 2018, albeit on a different scale. The other uncanny similarity with that outing was that both were planned on very short notice. Am I the only one seeing a trend to these adventurous activities and last-minute plans? Nevertheless, it appears to make sense because the build-up is much faster than a long-planned outing.
It had been over a month since my parents’ visit to US, and I was secretly itching to go on another outing. I couldn’t have been as expressive in terms of budget, and I had kept myself on a tight leash. Much like last year, ideas floated around daily, only to be thrown out of the window by the end of the day – amusement parks, camping, road trips, and the whole bunch. To not feel bad for the lack of trying, I browsed the campground listings in and around Minnesota and Wisconsin – another uncanny similarity to attempts in 2018 to go camping that had fallen flat in the face due to unavailability of campgrounds. The search ambitiously began with a distance location of Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin, and gradually came closer home to Minnesota. However, to my complete surprise, my friend Tejas and I found one campsite free in the Itasca State Park. It was a no-brainer to book the slot, and then build the plan around it.
From preparing an exhaustive list of items to carry, to collecting them and packing the car before heading out, I could not help but keep reading of different peoples’ experiences of camping. Honestly, I was aware that one-night camping, in an area that would be inhabited by many other campers, was just like touching the tip of the iceberg. However, that did not make the experience any less exciting. Finally, I was to go camping – a bug that had bitten me a decade ago upon seeing my elder brother’s photos and hearing his experiences!
Our drive to Lake Itasca was long and scenic – long narrow roads ran through lush green fields where huge sprinklers and tractors were at work. The scenes constantly reminded me of the movie Interstellar, and some scenes from the movie Cars where the protagonist goes about “scaring off the tractors”! Enjoying these views, with lively songs for company, we were in high spirits by the time we got to the park. For the first time ever, I had actually bought a sunscreen and set out to use it. It was just one of the many different things I did over the weekend.
I had been yearning to go kayaking and after observing a couple of people so easily set off and wade around, I knew I could manage. Worst case, I assured myself that I knew swimming. Prior to that, we asked the ranger there to first help us understand the difference between a canoe and a kayak, rather sheepishly. It was very sweet of her to precisely answer our doubt, without belittling us for our ignorance. Armed with the theoretical knowledge, confidence and rushing adrenaline, we set out from the edge of the lake. Barely a few meters in, one look down into the clear waters had my heartbeat racing. Fish swam around and weeds floated eerily near the edge of the lake. For a few seconds, I was just mechanically paddling on with nowhere to back out, no one to quickly come help me out, and no “escape” button like in video games. I was suddenly in the middle of a lake, surrounded by the calm waters, and the serenity descended on my mind too. The moment took my breath away. All the fear and uncertainty that were cluttering my mind now seemed distant – I was in the moment, and thoroughly enjoying it. It was a blissful one, and surely the highlight of the evening!
Back on dry land, we rented bikes and set out to see the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, which runs all the way to the south of the North American continent. The headwaters plaque mentioned that the river covers a mind-boggling 2,552 miles before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. But what lay in front of us hardly did justice to these numbers – the lake barely seemed to spill over into a small stream, and heading into the woods. There were kids playing around as if on a beach. Every sign seemed to convey otherwise, but it indeed was the official start of the monstrous river. “Slow and steady wins the race” must’ve been coined looking at the slow and steady growth of the Mississippi!
After a failed attempt at biking along a mountain trail (we were breathless, and the heat and humidity weren’t helping, so we chose to turn around), we headed to campsite to set up our tent. Courtesy the University of Minnesota outdoor gear rentals facility, we managed to get a good quality tent at a reasonable rate. Keeping in mind this article, I was eager to record our setting up of the tent. It was my first time, after all. And thanks to Tejas’ camera skills (well, setting up his phone camera in a good position was a task in itself), we were rewarded with a memorable and slightly amusing time-lapse video!
Setting up a tent. (Photography credits: Tejas Deshpande)
With the help of a nearby camper, we were able to light the firewood for a campfire too. Yet another item checked off the list of “to-do things when camping”, I must say. We’d carried marshmallows that we tried roasting over the campfire. Most of our attempts resulted in burnt marshmallows, ones that nobody would probably make anybody cringe! Eventually, the enthusiasm died out even though we got a hang of how to roast it.
As dusk progressed into night, we decided to retire for the day into our tent. Once inside, we were greeted with a shocking revelation that left us cursing ourselves. The previous day, we’d checked the tent to ensure that everything was packed for us by the rental facility, and that we knew how to set it up. We completely ignored checking the sleeping bags. I mean, what’s to go wrong in a sleeping bag, right? Wrong. We’d been given just one sleeping bag, and the temperatures were to drop sharply during the night! With no choice at hand, using a towel, a jacket, and a sleeping spread across as a mattress, we struggled to get some sleep on the fairly hard forest floor. It wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences, and surely not how I had imagined “a night when camping”!
The next morning, the sun rays streaming through the canopy was a welcome moment, and we drove off towards a trail that we’d planned to hike. Having heard of it as one of the popular trails, we were expecting company. Little did we know that the only company we’d have would be of insects and mosquitoes – thousands of them! The 45 minutes of hiking was the lowest point of the weekend, despite the breathtaking view atop the fire tower that we’d gone to see. I vowed to buy the best insect repellent the next time I go camping.
This experience, the tip of the iceberg of camping, had me scratching my neck (literally), and left me scratching my head, wondering how hardcore campers managed and survived in harsher conditions! I feel a great desire to plan and go on another camping trip, with better preparation. The weekend was one crazy ride, with lots of memorable moments, but also a lot left to be desired. Hopefully the eagerness lasts long enough and I am able to plan another camping trip sometime soon. This one was a slow start, but a start nevertheless. I cannot help but think of the various possibilities & ideas – what sticks with me the most is the idea of going on such a camping hiking trip along the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, back in India, during the monsoons. It probably seems a long shot at this time, but I dream of fulfilling it one day!
Editing Credits: Sharmila Kuthunur (author of Fuel Your Curiosity)
