August 24, 2004

• You had the easy job, So stop complaining because after an hour and a half of work, it is finished.

  
  

  THE WEEKEND WE WENT CAMPING

  
  

  With us, if something can go wrong, it will.

  
  

  For pictures, visit Delynn’s site.

  
  

  Friday, August 20th, 6:00 PM. Dun dun.

  
  

       We girls (Delynn, Rachel, and me) gathered at Rachel’s with all of our stuff, and threw it into Beau’s beaut. After which we rode down to the beach, met up with Godeck and this kid named Will, who were both to go with Beau and Ethan on their camping trip. Instead of trying to ferry things and people, we loaded all of our gear, food and persons in the beaut. With seven people in the beaut, along with all of their stuff, and definitely exceeding the 1050 lbs. limit, the boat sat way to low in the water and was bound for disaster.

  
  

       Beau started the beaut and we moved away from the dock, where it promptly died. Rachel and I, who were seated in the bow, fended us off from the other dock while Beau tried to get the beaut going again. After lots of that, it started and we were off. No matter how hard we tried, the beaut wouldn’t go fast and everytime we hit a wave, a little splash came over the bow. As we approached the island we slowed, sending two inches of water cascading over the bow. Needless to say,  the pants Rachel and I were wearing were soaked. And the only ones we had excepting our pajama pants. Shit. It was bad. Anyway, we drove up and down the docks looking for a place to moor and the beaut died again. Just our luck, we were at that moment headed toward rocks. We all leaned over to push away, while Ethan and Godeck jumped off. A man on the dock recognized our plight and sent a kid over in a motorized dinghy to help tow us. The motor couldn’t handle us, so we returned to the rocks where we all jumped out. Somehow the guys got the beaut over to a sand beach to moor for the night.

  
  

       We unloaded our crap and continued to the campsites. Rachel, Delynn, and I headed for a campsite more in the woods, while the guys set up right on the beach. By this time it was getting dark, and we still had to set up our tent. Unfortunately, we spent waaaaay too much time trying to connect a couple of retarded poles that didn’t connect before we discovered that the pole we needed was still in the pole bag. Shit Delynn. Then, we spent another hour and a half erecting the tent before it became erected. And we so didn’t bother with the rain fly. Immediately following all of that, we realized that we were starving, so we set up our little propane campstove thing, roasted weenies, marshmellows and had ourselves a pretty damn good dinner.

  
  

      I will take this time to say that the reason we almost sank was totally because of the guys’ food. We ladies had pbj’s and hotdogs for both nights, and they had some weird gourmet spaghetti shit and fancy snack crackers. I mean really, must it be that complicated?

  
  

      After this, we laid on the beach to watch the stars, the night being clear and dark. Then we “went to bed” which really means lying on the hard ground in our tents with only two sleeping bags cause one got wet and talking for freaking ever before we realized that it was 3:05 we had to pee and hot cocoa may help put us to sleep. I also forgot my contact crap and my glasses, so I had to store them in baggies of water. Nasty. After setting up and accomplishing above said, we went to bed and actually managed a good four hours of sleep.

  
  

  Saturday, August 21st, morning. Dun dun.

  
  

       During the night, the raccoons ate our graham crackers, marshmellows and hot dog buns. Even though we did what the stupid ranger told us and put the coolers beneath the benches. Damnit.

  
  

      We woke up to a cloudy sky and the promise of rain, so after making breakfast, we set up the rain fly, blew up Delynn’s kiddie pool (which served as an amazing flotation device), toured Tillicum Village, and avoided deer and raccoon (and yes I do mean raccoon) shit. While inside the tourist store at the village, one of the salesladies came up to us and struck a conversation. It is as follows: “Do you ladies need some help?” us “No thanks, we’re just looking.” her “Cause you look like you need some help. I mean, I am a girl.” us, in total confusion “No, really, we’re fine.” her “I stand corrected, woman.” us “Uhhh…” her “Right, if you need anything, let me know.” us “okay.” Rachel “I think someone’s been smoking a little too much of the peace pipe.” A moment later, on our way out of the store, a lady at the register asks “Can I help you with anything?” us “No thanks, we’re just looking.” Why God, why?

  
  

       We return to the site, play a little frisbee, then made signs which can be read on Delynn’s xanga. Even though it looks like rain and the water’s around 50 degrees, we grab the pool, jump in our swimsuits, and wade slowly into the water so as to induce total numbness. After this was achieved, we snorkled, played in the puddling pool, and stood in the now fall rain, realizing that if once we thought Washington’s rain to be cold, it was scalding compared to the Puget Sound. Upon exiting the water, we saw three skinny guys trying to get on a log in the water to float. Dumbasses. We hiked to the showers, where we discovered we had forgot our quarters and that was the only way to get hot water, so we walked back and just changed.

  
  

      On our way back, however, we came across a hobbling Beau, asking for paper towels. Apparently, while in his tent in his flip-flops, he stepped on his pirate belt buckle and put the pokey part through his foot. When treated to a view of the flip flop, we saw flourescent blood intermingled with chunks of grass. The girls thought it was gross, but it made me sad. So, I washed off the shoe at the local water spigot. And then he hobbled back.

  
  

       The rest of the day was spent in a picnic shelter with our stove, playing cards, and charcoal briquettes. Ethan and Will had to go back that day, for varying reasons, so Beau and Godeck ferried them back. The guys joined us later, bringing us lighter fluid and graham crackers, replacing the ones the damn raccoons had stolen from us. They also visited our campsite where they saw a collapsed tent, which they kindly rebuilt for us. That was a thank you, by the way. In the shelter, they played with the fluid and made their spaghetti while we made our easy mac with diced hot dogs since we had no buns. Thus the evening passed away, prompting us to return to our site. There we found a partially collapsed tent and a wet deck of playing cards. After many haiku games, written on paper towels, games where we said the first word thought of when one was said, and others along those lines, Godeck and Beau came over to relieve their boredom, which was pointless cause we couldn’t help. Seriously, we sat on the picnic bench and talked until we got so tired we kicked them out. And went to bed.

  
  

  Sunday, August 23rd, morning again. Dun dun.

  
  

       Delynn and Rachel woke up and forced me to as well, even though I was grumpy as hell. We ate the remnants of whatever we had left, and believe me, we ate some really gross concoctions. Really. We each took seperate turns walking to the bathroom, and while Rachel took hers, Delynn and I re-fell asleep. Until Rachel came back in, layed across Delynn and I, and proceeded to play the fucking recorder in my ear. For FIFTEEN minutes.

  
  

       Finally, she settled down and we all passed out until we hear Beau outside are tent telling us to get up because they wanted to leave. We got up and packed our shit before we realized that they hadn’t collapsed their tent or anything. After removing the once-complex poles, we awkwardly tied up the tent (there was no way we were getting it back in the bag) and folded the underlying tarp. While doing this, I stepped in a mondo pile of deer crap, in my flip-flops, and slid several feet. Man, did it stink, literally. We packed up, dropped our crap in the beaut (after many trips) and piled in. Down two guys and a lot of food, we once again thought it unnecessary to ferry, so we crossed out fingers and hoped we’d make it back alive. Forty-five minutes later the beaut still hadn’t started and things were getting rather tense. After repeated counter-clockwise rubbings in groups of threes on the motor, it started and we took off. We arrived at the docks about 1-ish, died again, then rode in the beaut to Rachel’s house where we jumped off, separated crap and went our different ways.

  
  

       Summary: Even though everything went wrong, all of the trip was spent in dampness and laughter and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Or with any other people. It was amazing and the time shared with my friends was all I really needed. We should have died about twenty times in there. It also took a really long time to write this blog and I don’t blame you if you don’t read it. My hand is cramped, I’m slightly grumpy and I’m going to go to bed now. Peace.

  • 4:02 am
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