Misery Loves Company

(I know, I've used this pic of Sherri before, but it is just too apropos to pass on)

Some say that sailing is the art of going no where, slowly, at great expense and in much discomfort. Camping, I suppose, is less expensive but otherwise similar. Why, I ask myself, would I join three other suspect paddlers, leave a home with central heat, very hot water and soft beds to sleep on uneven ground in near-freezing weather with no heat and showers that are, at best, tepid?

I went sailing because of the great joy it gave me. I went in all sorts of weather and wide ranges of temperatures. I go camping because I like the simplicity, the quiet and the sense of escape. But to camp in the conditions I've described is a bit like tunneling out of prison and coming up between two rows of razor wire. Are you really better off?

Doug, Bob, Greg and I are to head up to Door County Peninsula State Park for a weekend of paddling, camping and gangrene. It is expected to rain Friday and Saturday before temperatures plunge to freezing Saturday night. We will not do much cooking, but Greg (a master fire builder...but I digress) has promised some degree of warmth. At least on the half of us facing the fire. I suppose we can turn around and melt the icicles as needed.

So, as I sit here in my little nook with the sound of the furnace warming the house, I ask again, why I would do this? I must admit, I don't know. Still, I will shop for some grub, pack all sorts of gear and warm clothes and give it a try. I will go because I am rugged and love a challenge. Now, where can I find a really long extension cord for my humidifier?

Paddle safe...

DS