we really wanted to do something fun and free for the 24th, so the idea of camping was pretty much a no brainer. granted, we didn't have any camping gear of our own, but after the help of an Amazon gift card and some awesome deal-finding, we had a nice tent and air mattress purchased for around $40 (these purchases were obviously easy to justify, as they can be used over, and over, and over).
we had already recently scouted out some camping spots in the Bountiful mountains, so already had the location picked out as well. We were ready!
kendrick was off work around 2 'o clock on the 24th, so as soon at that hit, we were on the road and on our way. once in the mountains, it didn't take long for us to land upon the perfect camping spot. we set up our tent, blew up the air mattress, and got the bed put together.
I'd have to say that the most memorable part of the camping trip was getting the fire started. there were some scraps of bark and branches laying on the ground, but certainly not enough to keep a fire blazing until night time. also, a lot of the wood that was on the ground was wet from the rain that we had a few days prior, so none of that was really even usable. so, we had to resort to what made the most sense at the time- setting large rocks underneath fallen down trees, and having Kendrick jump on one end, in hopes that the weight would get the wood to snap. after much trial and error, we were finally able to cut the wood into fire-pit sized pieces by having Kendrick run over it with his car. ridiculous, yes? impressive? you betcha. admittedly, I wouldn't let Kendrick purchase a hatchet before this trip because I really didn't understand the need (he tends to make impulsive purchases whenever he finds something "cool"), but I get it now, honey, I get it!
before we got dinner started, I took a short stroll to get a good view of the sunset (and to take some pictures, of course). I don't know what it is about Bountiful, but it just knows how to do a sunset.
while we still had a little bit of light, we decided to bring out the pellet gun and do some shooting. kendrick set up empty water bottles on severed tree trunks, and we took turns shooting them down.
our fire burned until it was dark, which allowed us to roast hot dogs and s'mores, the two components of any respectable camping trip. when it was time to call it a night, we realized something else we forgot- water to put out the fire! sure, we had a cooler with about 3 frozen water bottles, but those were the "ice" that was keeping everything in there cool. it was at this point that one of our worsts habits paid off for us as we were were able to round up about six half-full water bottles in the back seat of Kendrick's car (we are both terribly guilty of drinking a water bottle halfway, forgetting about it, and then chucking it in the back seat when it's too warm to drink).
it was a particularly cold night, but that could be due to the fact that we brought a few blankets rather than sleeping bags. once morning came, we were up and ready to head out. we were going to make breakfast, but our camp stove wasn't functioning right and Kendrick obtained a pretty gnarly battle wound from trying to break a large branch off of a tree.
we were on the road and headed home by noon (after some scenery pictures, of course).
kendrick and I are both really excited to get more into camping, as this trip was a huge first step in learning what we need and don't need... because basically, we needed everything that we didn't bring. but, I'm always up for any kind of adventure with my best friend. :)
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