A nice campout.

We had a good campout this weekend. It rained like hell when we stopped for food on the way up, and we waited it out over coffee. It was wet when we got to camp. But suddenly, I felt the humidity disappear, which was nice after how hot and sticky it was Friday. When the wet air got sucked Eastward, it felt like a cold sweater.

I still didn’t sleep much, in a “lean-to” with three dudes who snored in very loud and strange and entertaining ways. I gave them prizes in my head. “Y” got the award for the most non-human sounds. I thought the bears spotted at our campsite before we got there were coming for my trailmix. “C” got the award for largest variety. His snores ranged from gurgles to grinds. “J” got the award for sheer volume. He woke himself up frequently, and I had to stomp the floor boards a few times to get him to stop buzzing so I could get to sleep before he started snoring again — which never worked.

There was little snoring the next night, since everyone was pretty sore from our day-long hike. It was 40 degrees in the mountains that night, and I slept in a cotton sweater, tucked into a mummy bag. I was very happy to feel a chill on my nose that stuck out of my sleeping bag — until I had to pee at four in the morning. Dang it.

Getting boys from Hampden and the surrounding areas to cook their own food, to hike all day and not to kill each other along the way is an accomplishment. But we had a good group for the most part, so it was not that big of a task this time around. I remember what a handful I could be at that age. I think everyone had a good time, even the older guys who needed Advil pronto. I’ll brag and say that I was ready for more after two hours sitting around the campfire with a cup of coffee. But I share Bruce Chatwin’s “God of Walkers.”

I have a lot of photos to upload, mostly to Flickr. I’ll get more up soon. I’m tired from a good ride to the county with my friend today.