What a weekend. About all the outdoors I can handle for a while. Seven of us when camping this long weekend. Friday morning we woke up, pack, and got ready to leave. We left around 11:30 in 2 cars. We stopped in New Bethlehem for lunch. When we finally got to Marienville, we stopped to buy a few things and then went to the campsite. We found a plot and setup our tents and equipment. We had dinner and marshmellows and sat around the fire talking for a while. Finally we went to bed, and all the trouble started.

It hadn't been too cold and it was comfortable sleeping 3 of us in my tent... until it started to rain. My tent isn't waterproof and I knew this, but I hadn't really planned for rain. It can hold out for a while, but it rained for close to 15 hours. After a few, enough water had leaked in to soak the part of my sleeping bag that wasn't on the therma-rest (the floor of the tent was a puddle). I moved to the smaller tent that we had left empty. For a while that was drier but it was small and so the places where I touched the wall got very wet. By morning I was soaked as was all my stuff. It was still raining and so in new dry clothes and thick jackets we ate eggs and oatmeal.

Now we had the discussion whether we should stay or go. I expressed my serious disinterest in staying. This was partly because I was the wettest one, with nowhere to sleep the next night, but mostly because I just don't enjoying doing things in the rain, however well prepared. In the end we decided to stay and try and make it work.

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Tomorrow morning we're hitting the road. Yes, it is that time of year again for my 2nd annual camping trip. Last year was great. This year will be different, not necessarily worse or better. Last time it was just the 4 of us and in terms of camping know how, I was certainly up there. This year I'm bringing along a crew of weathered outdoorsmen. Seven people this year is few than I expected but perhaps just the right amount. I spent *sooo* much money today on camping gear, but I least I own this stuff now. It will make next time easier.

I should be able to enjoy this, but there are 3 things that I'm worried about: weather, work, and women. I'm freezing now, in my room, so I can't imagine what tomorrow will be like. I heard there might be snow, right now I think I'd take snow just so there isn't rain. As far as work, I've been working so hard which would seem to suggest that I need this break, but the hard part about working hard is that I don't get time to get ahead or to work on the things I want to, or just to relax. The trip may be fun, but if I am in the same situation with work after having 3 days off as I was before, I don't know what would be the point, and I might just crack. Finally women. As fun as camping will be, the only thing I've been able to think about lately is the girl, and so 3 days without getting a chance to try and see her or get to know her, isn't really what I want right now.