I don’t have many memories of camping as a kid. In fact, my camping experiences really didn’t begin until 2020, when camping / spending time in nature was one of the only things you could do.
And while I’d still consider myself a novice camper (with only a handful of trips under my belt), there are a few experiences that stand out. One of those was my Joshua Tree camping trip.
It was fall 2021, and a group of my friends (some of whom were strangers to each other) planned a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.
I’d been to Joshua Tree before, but only for a day trip during a Spring Break getaway to Palm Springs. This time, though, was different. This time, we were in the wild. And not only that, but the forecast was calling for rain – LOTS of it!
By the time we arrived at our campsite, the sky was already dark. We decided to pitch our tent before the rain hit and, after scanning the landscape, narrowed it down to two options:
- Pitch it underneath the large boulder conveniently sitting at the back of the site, or
- Pitch it near the center of the site, a bit further out.
Our instinct was to set up near the rock…because, shelter, right? (Looking back, that spot was also slightly elevated, which probably also elevated its appeal.)
As we debated, a nearby camper sauntered over and offered his two cents:
“Don’t pitch it under the rock. When it rains, all that runoff will go straight to your tent.”
Being the novice campers we were, we figured we should listen to this seemingly more experienced camper. So we went with location #2.
Not 20 minutes after the rain started pouring, wouldn’t you know it…our tent was pitched directly over the joining of two small riverlets. A literal stream was rushing straight through the middle of our tent! Meanwhile, option #1 was looking pretty smooth.
We ended up sitting in our car, waiting for the worst of it to pass, before heading back out to (re)pitch our tent then spent the rest of the evening eating toasted bread around the campfire, regaling our friends (both old and new) with the tale and playing games.
That Joshua Tree camping trip was memorable in more ways than one, but I’d have to say that it was during that trip that I learned two of the most valuable lessons I could ever hope to learn in life.
First – you can trust yourself.
And second? Never listen to the manspainer.
Sunrise meditation spot
Rise & shine
Nothing like a campsite breakfast
Swapped film cameras with one of the other campers…a Nikon? I think
Lol, me creeping
Time for a hike
Tarantual sighting
Roadside lunch befor parting our separate ways
Leave a Reply