Leah ROHLF: Roughing it -

August 16, 2004

Roughing it -

Tents, fire, sleeping bags, bugs, critters, rain! All things that come to my mind when I think of camping. Mars Hill had our annual cammping trip this past weekend. A time to reflect on all the things that God did in the last year. And a time to relax and enjoy "family time." We found ourselves at Whirling Thunder Lodge (amazing isn't it? :) in Hawkeye, IA on Friday night. This place was quite interesting. First off they had a life size stuffed racoon that was sitting on a shelf. The abdo boys got a hold of it. Shortly after we arrived I had to use the restroom. As I exited I found this racoon at my feet. I however, did not know it was stuffed. I'm pretty sure everyone heard the squeal as I informed the world that there was a racoon in the bathroom. Michael Abdo- watch out! It was a great weekend. We camped outside and it was freezing! I even have a huge sleeping bag that is very warm and I still woke up cold! Praise the Lord for hot showers. Saturday we spent time in the word and sharing our quiet time thoughts. Then a huge game of softball was underway. I didn't play but cheered on the sidelines. Saturday afternoon a group of us went caving or splunking. For some reason I have always invisioned caving as walking through a large tunnel in the side of a large hill. However, all three times I have attempted this, it has not been the case. The very first move to get into this small hole in the ground was to lay on your back and wiggle down this dark black hole HEAD FIRST! I was so proud of myself just after the first move! Then came crawling, wiggling and pulling myself along this tiny, muddy, worm infested tunnel which eventually turned into a small room that we all crammed into. I was one of the first people in, so we had to wait a while for everyone to make it in. We sat there for a few min and then eventually all started to pile back out. We had some great laughs down there. Oh my goodness. I think if I had to be trapped in a dark small space for a period of time I would take Amanda Tripp and Jeff Koenig. Poor Jeff, he has been in situations that he has found himself trapped by several girls a few times in the past year. He has heard all sorts of stories, rumors,... ok and belches that he is sworn to secrecy about! We all decided that it was a good thing that he is married because he already knew some of this stuff. It didn't scare him away perminately. :) Good times had by all. We eventually made it out and were completely covered in mud. And I survived!!! We spent a long time waiting for everyone to get done exploring before we could all head back to camp. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time despite the mud, bruises and scrapes. Thankfully we didn't meet any critters down that hole. I'm pretty sure that would have been a horrible experience for everyone trapped down there to hear my screams!
Saturday night we had smores and sat under the stars telling of the goodness and faithfulness of God. How good it was to hear of all the ways he has shown himself faithful to my brothers and sisters! Sunday morning we had our typical Mars Hill service and talked through Matthew 13. Some very good truths to apply to my life. Then we packed, cleaned and headed home! Even though it was a fun weekend, I love coming home!

So... the original point of this post was for people to define for me what "roughing it" looks like to them. I know that I am considered a high maintenance kind of girl. You probably won't find me camping unless I can sleep on an air mattress and take a shower in the morning. Other than that- I'm pretty flexible. However, I know that there are people out there who roughing it looks like not showering for days on end and eating the same three foods for the entire week. That to me just doesn't sound like much fun. I know from experience though that there are others out there who do not quite think like me... praise the Lord! :) So tell me, what does roughing it look like to you? Stories of survival? Defeat? Do share! :)

(Lindsy and Britts- how is my spelling? :)

Posted by Leah at August 16, 2004 01:32 PM

Comments

backpacking 50lbs of gear, only 1/2 lb of which includes: extra clothing, and personal hygine itemes.

That 50 lbs is carried all at once, and includes everyhing you need personally for the trip, plus your share of the party's load.

Traveling at least 50 miles by canoe/horseback, or 25 by foot.

Eating pretty much the same stuff (though you can get really creative with basic ingredients!) the entire time.

Hours spent in the evening just enjoying nature, God, and one's companions.

At least 40 miles away from a major city, 25 from a major highway

For at least 1 week.

Posted by: Matt at August 16, 2004 02:51 PM

Funny, I was just talking about this today with a co-worker -- our most memorable camping trips.

I spent 3 days in the Olympic Mountains with two friends who were in the Army Rangers based out of Fort Lewis. Full backpacks, don;t remember the weight. We covered 55 miles in three days -- IN A STRAIGHT LINE -- over mountainous terrain. I could barely walk by the time we reached the end.

We spent one entire day above the treeline and lost the trail, slid several hundred feet down a glacier when we saw the trail below us and then discovered a sign several miles farther along telling us that the trail we just traversed was closed because of rock slides. We ate C-Rations and I learned about John Wayne bars -- crackers and chocolate -- and how to make a frosty malt from instant cocoa mixed with glacier ice. No tents. We soaked naked in a sun-warmed mountain pool and freaked out a troop of Girl Scouts.

The most humiliating part was watching the two Rangers trod off into the distance out of sight as I trudged painfully along. Then watch them come back to me and apologize for getting so far ahead saying, "It's really hard for us to walk that slow" and then walk off into the distance again. By the time I'd catch up to them at night, they'd already be sprawled on their bags eating. They were doing this hike, btw, for "a little exercise."

I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Posted by: Different Dan at August 16, 2004 03:34 PM

And speaking of caves ...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040816/D84GD8U80.html

Posted by: Different Dan at August 16, 2004 04:22 PM

Roughing it...no chocolate in the house, only a crusty chocolate chip stuck to the bottom of my spice cabinet. Nothing says roughing it like eating a chip that tastes like garlic!

Posted by: Terri at August 16, 2004 06:00 PM

first... not having a toilet within 3 min walk/drive. coming off of our family vacation of camping/cabin/hotel/camping, i don't mind not showering, sleeping with bugs or bears, eating the same foods, using a sleeping mat, or using park "toilets," but to be without the actual toilet in rain and cold is not fun, esp. with little kids and being pregnant.
second... if i wasn't able to bring along a roll of paper towels, a garbage bag and anti-bacterial hand wipes, that would be rough.
my husband, on the other hand, went camping and they had to ration their water supply and he thought that was awesome. (can you believe i did not like camping at all before i got married, but now i really enjoy it, crazy!)
i was really impressed by you this weekend Leah Marie! You are the coolest!

Posted by: Dana Marie at August 17, 2004 11:04 PM