Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Camping Trip 5/18-20/12

001For more pictures, click HERE.

We had a wonderful camping trip this past weekend. Seventeen of us camped at Brown Mountain Beach Resort near Morganton, NC. It is in the Wilson Creek Wilderness area. When we arrived, we found the perfect spot along the river to set up our tent. We even decided to take our Tahoe with 4WD instead of our Prius and I’m glad we did.

On Friday afternoon, we hiked to two overlooks which was absolutely beautiful. The hikes were moderate but well worth the effort. We passed the ruins of a town called Mortimer along the river bank that had been demolished after 2 flash floods. The town ended up moving and becoming the town of Lenoir.

That night we had a birthday party around the campfire to celebrate Bill’s 70th birthday. Then there was a huge poster made with a picture of Bill bending over and his backside facing the camera. So, we played “Pin the tail on Bill.” Fun was had by all!

On Saturday, while 10 others did a really tough 8 mile hike to 2 waterfalls, my hubby and I decided to drive around in the area. We went into Lenoir and I was able to find a yarn shop. Then we came back to the campground along some beautiful dirt roads. My hubby accidentally drove over a long snake and when I looked in my mirror, he was coming straight up off the road looking for the thing that caused him pain. I bet he was two feet up in the air! We didn’t go back though because there was nothing we could do. We did see beautiful flowers: Goatsbeard, fire pink, star chickweed, and beardtongue.

On Sunday it was time to pack up and head for home. We had a great time and I look forward to next year’s gathering!

Things I learned:

1. I’m really out of shape!

2. Bring a couple of gallons of my own water because the campground well water could be a little strange.

3. I really enjoy camping chairs that have foot rests attached.

4. It is fun to camp with a group. Everyone has different interests and stories to share.

5. Camping with a group is a great way to learn new tips or get new ideas for camping and hiking.

6. Reheating pasta for dinner is hard over a camp stove. It wants to stick to the pan.

7. Nobody else gets up at 5am like I do so every morning it was up to me to get the campfire going.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

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