This Bittersweet Existence : Camping Misadventure

Sam and I always have very adventurous camping trips. We've gotten injured, our GPS has taken us on curvy back roads where banjos play in the distance, Sam has almost fallen off a waterfall, and I've almost stepped off a mountain. This time we took the dogs for their first camping trip and now we can add to the list of experiences and lessons learned, more injuries, weather reports are important, and getting a written warning is not fun. And, there was a LOT of pouting!

Sam had been talking up this trip for a while. We were going to go back to Tellico Plains, TN with the goal being to find my favorite little waterfall and to dig at the bottom of it for gold. However, a few things caused issues. The day before we were to leave, Sam's Jeep broke down...first sign. The weather was horrible, cold and rainy for that time of year...second sign. The other couple that was going to camp with us canceled... third sign. Normally we leave on Friday to go camping but we had cancelled the trip, then rescheduled, then cancelled...again and again. I was at the point where I just point blanked told Sam to tell me what he wanted and I would just *bleeping* do it. So he stuck with the canceled. Until Saturday morning arrived and it was a beautiful day. Then the pouting started. Sam pouted all morning. He checked the weather report and pouted. He turned on the weather channel and pouted. Finally, I think I asked if he just wanted to go. The pouting abruptly ended and the packing began. So we arrived at Tellico late that afternoon and the rain started. Fortunately, it was dry at the campsite so we were able to get settled sans rain. The camp site was vacant and so we let the dogs off their leashes. Sam and I would call them as soon they set one paw off our camp area and they would dutifully come right back. This was working perfectly until the park ranger arrived to check in on us. Dogs have to remain leashed at all times, oops. We were written a warning and told if we were caught again, it would be a $75 fine. So the dogs stayed on their leash the remainder of the trip, which they hated. They are used to running around in our fenced in backyard and only go leashed during their Arabia hike. So there was a lot of whining from them. After getting the camp set-up, we took the dogs down to the trail that leads up to our waterfall. Before we could get out of the Jeep, the rain drops (which had recently stopped) started up again in full earnest. So we ended up spending the entire day at camp. That night it was pretty chilly for late May so it was really nice to have two warm furry dogs to cuddle up to, I had Willa on top of my feet and Sam had Bruce on his. Except, Sam woke up and realized Bruce was shivering so he ended up pulling him underneath the blankets and cuddled together. Willa took the temperature like a champ. The next day, our goal was to hike to the damn waterfall. So off we went. Bruce, normally, walks very slowly but for some reason, this time he chose to charge full speed ahead. The first time was when I was coming down a small hill. He pulled so hard that I got knocked onto my butt with the palm of my hand and wrist taking the brunt of my weight. It hurt...a lot. The easier trail is across the river from where you park, so you have to walk through the river. Last time we went, it was the same time of year but much warmer and the river was lower. Sam carried Willa across first, tied her to a tree and came back for Bruce. I would help, but I can't carry them...and I'm clumsy. Fortunately, I only almost tripped on my way over. The water was extremely cold and my legs went numb quickly. Once we all got to the other side and started hiking again, Bruce kept pulling really hard. I fell twice (once into the water), almost hit my head on a tree, and by the time we got to the waterfall, I was in pain, pissy, and my butt was wet. I sat down on a rock, held my hurt hand in my other hand, and pouted. I hate pouting. I hate it when other people pout. But I couldn't stop myself. I'm at the beautiful waterfall with a gorgeous man and I'm just mad. Sam went to go dive into the water and I didn't want him to, I felt like the water was too cold and he might get hurt. So I pouted more. And when he got into the water and away from the dogs, they started pouting. So the three of us pouted and watched Sam get into the frigid water. It was so cold, he decided not to put his head under and just tried to get to a shallow spot where he could use his shovel to grab sediment from the bottom. He did this for as long as he could stand it before coming back in. He sifted through his bucket full of dirt and to my not surprise...no gold. Finally, he was done and I whined, "Can we go home now?" We hiked back to camp, ate lunch, packed up, and left. I was so glad to be home! The dogs were ecstatic to be home too and in their own backyard, off their damn leashes. I took a long shower and some painkillers and went right to bed. Sam apologized for making us all go when clearly we should have stayed home and watch movies. Next camping trip is only a few weekends away...fingers crossed!

Here's some pictures, some of which were taken during our first trip to Tellico when the weather was much nicer and the water lower: