Okay this is a 2 part journal, part one will be about my camping trip, part two will be the on going saga that is my love life (or lack there of)
Pt 1. We were supposed to leave for the 'camp site' on Tuesday morning but the weather was too bad so we didn't leave til Wednesday morning. From the second I arrived to the camp I hated it there. Our 'cabins' were merely plywood constructed squares with a roof that for the most part kept us out of the elements but did little for warmth. The place we slept was just the floor elevated by about 3 ft. they were small and there was 4 of us in each cabin..and that was the best place I slept all week. One day we piled up a huge pile of snow about 8ft high, the next day we carved it out and filled it with pine bows for bedding. Yup you guessed it, I slept in that one night...it sucked, although there were only 2 people to a snow bank there wasn't much room and the military sleep bags take a lot of effort to get in and out of. Every time you hit the roof or side you got a face full of snow. It sucked. The next night I slept in a tent..a small cheap plastic tent. Sure it was roomie but well thin plastic doesn't provide much warmth. so t his is day 3 into the trip. We have only been eating 2 small meals a day so by this point we are all tired, wet, cold and hungry. Oh ya, and the only water we get is snow we melted ourselves so not having much time on our hands we were getting dehydrated as well. That night we went for a nice snow shoe across the lake and through the woods, but in true military fashion just when something seems like it might be fun well they turn it to hell, because the next day we went snow showing on a nav. excercise (compass and GPS work) The snow WITH snowshoes was up to my waist...we walked for hours through forest that would have sucked in the summer let alone in 5 ft of snow. After that we had a practicle day. We went into the woods, started our fires, built our shelters then the instructors called us together. It was time to learn how to catch, kill and clean our own dinner. That day bunny was on the menu. We partnered up, one guy killed it, one guy cleaned it. Well I lost and had to clean it. By this time I was already miserable have done some god awful things I wouldn't normally do so I thought fuck it, got out my knife cut thumper open, with my bare hands removed all its inner organs and fur etc....it wasn't even that gross. So, the next day we were set out on our own. 48 hours alone with nothing that doesn't come in a CF18 Ejection seat. (by the way food DOESN'T come in that seat) I built my shelter (which didn't have a wall OR floor) only a parachute on a 45 degree angle hanging over me and a comfy sleeping bag to keep me out of the elements. The first day, I gathered wood, built my fire and my lean to. The next day (moving very slowly) built my signal fire. So almost immediately after I finished the instructor came and told me to light the signal fire, when it was all done he walked away and told me to be ready for a 7am pick up. I was happy the course was over all I had to do was sleep outside one more night and wake up. Well, with nothing left to do and fire wood dwindling I went to bed at 6pm. While I was sleeping I heard tree branches snapping (a sound only associated with trees freezing and breaking) I thought fuck, it hasn't been that cold out they shouldn't be doing that then I noticed on my sleeping bag where I was sleeping was covered in frost and the back of my parachute was also covered. Even though I was toasty in my sleeping bag it was getting COLD outside. 6am finally rolled around and I started to get up (you sleep in only your boxers in the sleeping bag) so as I move around to find my clothes (which were also in the sleeping bag with me) I was starting to get VERY cold. I finally got all dressed, put on my extreme weather pants (which were not in the sleeping bag with me and were not a bundle of ice) and my parka which I was using for a pillow and it too was frozen solid. I only had to put on my boots then clean up and I was out of the woods. 1/2 an hour later I got my boots on (they were frozen and impossible to put on so you had to shove your foot in so far, walk around a bit then put them in further and walk around repeat as often as necissary til your foot is all the way inside.)
so finally I was dressed, camp was torn down I was on my way to base camp. One week in the woods + a dozen chopped down trees + one dead (and delicious bunny) + mulitple cuts and burns on my hands and a burnt big toe = WORST TRIP EVER
Pt 2. The girl
after 10 days isolated from everything I get back to Winnipeg and my cell phone, without showering or anything first I call Carol. After talking about 5 minutes she tells me she met someone while I was away. I was like wft, BUT we ran into each other yesterday and I still feel she is the one, I also feel that she thinks the same about me but with me moving Tuesday she is trying to pretend its not true. I don't think her and the 'new guy' are anything serious or anything and dammit I am not giving up.. I want her so bad.
Pt 1. We were supposed to leave for the 'camp site' on Tuesday morning but the weather was too bad so we didn't leave til Wednesday morning. From the second I arrived to the camp I hated it there. Our 'cabins' were merely plywood constructed squares with a roof that for the most part kept us out of the elements but did little for warmth. The place we slept was just the floor elevated by about 3 ft. they were small and there was 4 of us in each cabin..and that was the best place I slept all week. One day we piled up a huge pile of snow about 8ft high, the next day we carved it out and filled it with pine bows for bedding. Yup you guessed it, I slept in that one night...it sucked, although there were only 2 people to a snow bank there wasn't much room and the military sleep bags take a lot of effort to get in and out of. Every time you hit the roof or side you got a face full of snow. It sucked. The next night I slept in a tent..a small cheap plastic tent. Sure it was roomie but well thin plastic doesn't provide much warmth. so t his is day 3 into the trip. We have only been eating 2 small meals a day so by this point we are all tired, wet, cold and hungry. Oh ya, and the only water we get is snow we melted ourselves so not having much time on our hands we were getting dehydrated as well. That night we went for a nice snow shoe across the lake and through the woods, but in true military fashion just when something seems like it might be fun well they turn it to hell, because the next day we went snow showing on a nav. excercise (compass and GPS work) The snow WITH snowshoes was up to my waist...we walked for hours through forest that would have sucked in the summer let alone in 5 ft of snow. After that we had a practicle day. We went into the woods, started our fires, built our shelters then the instructors called us together. It was time to learn how to catch, kill and clean our own dinner. That day bunny was on the menu. We partnered up, one guy killed it, one guy cleaned it. Well I lost and had to clean it. By this time I was already miserable have done some god awful things I wouldn't normally do so I thought fuck it, got out my knife cut thumper open, with my bare hands removed all its inner organs and fur etc....it wasn't even that gross. So, the next day we were set out on our own. 48 hours alone with nothing that doesn't come in a CF18 Ejection seat. (by the way food DOESN'T come in that seat) I built my shelter (which didn't have a wall OR floor) only a parachute on a 45 degree angle hanging over me and a comfy sleeping bag to keep me out of the elements. The first day, I gathered wood, built my fire and my lean to. The next day (moving very slowly) built my signal fire. So almost immediately after I finished the instructor came and told me to light the signal fire, when it was all done he walked away and told me to be ready for a 7am pick up. I was happy the course was over all I had to do was sleep outside one more night and wake up. Well, with nothing left to do and fire wood dwindling I went to bed at 6pm. While I was sleeping I heard tree branches snapping (a sound only associated with trees freezing and breaking) I thought fuck, it hasn't been that cold out they shouldn't be doing that then I noticed on my sleeping bag where I was sleeping was covered in frost and the back of my parachute was also covered. Even though I was toasty in my sleeping bag it was getting COLD outside. 6am finally rolled around and I started to get up (you sleep in only your boxers in the sleeping bag) so as I move around to find my clothes (which were also in the sleeping bag with me) I was starting to get VERY cold. I finally got all dressed, put on my extreme weather pants (which were not in the sleeping bag with me and were not a bundle of ice) and my parka which I was using for a pillow and it too was frozen solid. I only had to put on my boots then clean up and I was out of the woods. 1/2 an hour later I got my boots on (they were frozen and impossible to put on so you had to shove your foot in so far, walk around a bit then put them in further and walk around repeat as often as necissary til your foot is all the way inside.)
so finally I was dressed, camp was torn down I was on my way to base camp. One week in the woods + a dozen chopped down trees + one dead (and delicious bunny) + mulitple cuts and burns on my hands and a burnt big toe = WORST TRIP EVER
Pt 2. The girl
after 10 days isolated from everything I get back to Winnipeg and my cell phone, without showering or anything first I call Carol. After talking about 5 minutes she tells me she met someone while I was away. I was like wft, BUT we ran into each other yesterday and I still feel she is the one, I also feel that she thinks the same about me but with me moving Tuesday she is trying to pretend its not true. I don't think her and the 'new guy' are anything serious or anything and dammit I am not giving up.. I want her so bad.
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it's about yourself.
look forward to making new experiences!