‘Tis my last few hours of tenting, excluding the wild party of Personal Checks.
I must say that I am feeling a little sad and nostalgic. “What?” you say. “You’ve complained so much about the cold and the noise and the dreaded sirens, and now you’re sad that tenting is about to end? You crazy woman, you.”
Why yes, thank you. I am indeed crazy. Cameron Crazy.
All joking aside, I won’t miss the cold or the noise or the dreaded sirens, though I have found a similar siren on YouTube that I’m considering as a potential morning alarm. I will definitely relish being able to spend nights of uninterrupted sleep in the warmth of my bed and blankets. And I will scratch my head, wondering what to do with my excess heat packs (maybe I should try and give them to people with stomachaches?). But there were moments that made this tenting experience worth every shiver and sleepy tent check.
5. Newfound appreciation for my bed. On the nights I’m allowed to sleep in my room, I snuggle deep into the soft mattress. My bed is a blessing. It’s a blessing.
4. Fulfillment of a tradition/rite of passage/survival test. I can now officially say that I have tented in subzero (Celsius) weather. Through rain and shine. People have probably gone through worse, but I’m proud of this achievement. It’s the first time I’ve tented outside, and in the winter to boot.
3. Friends. I know lots of tent groups that were formed around already existing friendships, but almost the only thing the people in my tent had in common at the beginning of the tenting season was that we were all friends of Colleen. But the hardships drew us close to each other—we slaved through the day hours and huddled together in the long night, bought each other food, watched movies, railed against the rain and laughed and laughed and laughed.
2. Food trucks and food in general. I have not have the pleasure of going to a food truck, but all my friends have—and they absolutely love it. Love it, love it, love it. Their cold-stressed faces melt into relief and awe when they buy Korean food, or chomp into a burger. I on the other hand have been on the receiving end of free lunch given out by the line monitors. Score!
1. Access to the Duke-UNC game. Welcome to hell, Carolina. GO DUKE!
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