Girls Gone Camping - September 2015

2015 - My Year of Zen - (still)
September 2015 

Girls, Girls, Girls!  

ARRGGGHHH

What do you get when you when you mix the following?
- 10 women
- A beautiful campground

- Kayaks
- A gorgeous lake
- Artistic talent
- Hiking trails
- Great food
- and just a little alcohol

ONE GREAT WEEKEND!

Thanks to all of the beautiful women I shared the weekend with and a special thanks to Mary Kausch for sharing her favorite spot!  We missed those that couldn't make it but toasted all of you!

Arriving at Loggers Lake was like driving into heaven.  Peace, quiet and beauty.  Mary was the only one there when I arrived and although I'm sure she was glad to see me, she probably was a little disappointed that her private time was ending with her favorite spot.  She welcomed me with open arms though and her first words were, "Welcome to Loggers Lake Ruthie.  Where time stands still".

I pick a spot right on the lake so when I unzip my tent in the morning, the first thing I see is the lake.

A little background on this trip:  I have never taken a kayak anywhere by myself.  I paid VERY close attention to Jim as he was teaching me how to strap it down and keep it safe.  I made it with no problem but it was a new experience for me so I was quite proud.

First order of business was to get the kayak unhooked and off the roof.  Sounds easy, right?  Well basically it is unless you have a tall vehicle and a 45 pound kayak.  I got everything unstrapped and tried to lift the kayak.  Ha!  That didn't work.  This is where I have to ask for help.   "Mary, can you please help!?!? "   Which of course, she did.  Took 2 seconds to get it to the ground and from there, the rest was a breeze.  Tent up, car unpacked, kayak to the edge of the lake.   I am now in heaven AND everything is done so I can just relax.

Others begin arriving.  Lisa, Gail, Deb, Katie, Laura, Kristi.

Time to get the kayak out on the water.  Me, Lisa and Mary go out for a bit.  Lisa has her fishing poles. The lake is still.  Everything is quiet.

Throughout the evening we had great conversations, great food and great companionship.  We shared stories of MVORs and just caught up on life.

Gail, Deb and I were the first to turn in.  As I was walking to my tent I looked up and admired the beautiful moon.  Life is Good!

But then.................. the rain came.
And the storms.
Lightning.
Thunder.
Wind.

Laying in a tent by yourself next to a lake, under a bunch of trees....

It causes a lot of random thoughts.
Is the lightning going to hit a tree and then the tree falls on me?
Is the hard rain going to cause my tent to float into the lake?

The thunder was so loud and the lightning was so bright!
I was laying there wondering if everyone else was having the same thoughts.

Finally, there was only rain.  And sleep.

The view from inside my tent.

Saturday morning.  We wake to beautiful skies and dry weather.  I begin taking photos before I am even out of my tent.

I finally make my way out of the tent to much cooler weather.  I am dressed in shorts, sweatshirt, socks and tennis shoes.  I will not post a photo of this because I was far from a fashion statement.  White socks, brown tennis shoes......... (you get the picture).





First lesson of the weekend.  When you have less than zero cell service, be sure to turn your kayak over.  Just in case.  I spent a bit of time trying to get the water out of the kayak.  Not an easy chore. You don't just tip it over and let the water roll out.  You have to tip it back and forth and back and forth......... and back and forth. As I said, "lesson learned".

Breakfast was next on the agenda once everyone was up and moving.  It's absolutely wonderful to cook outdoor by a fire with a bunch of girlfriends.  Of course, there was way too much food.  There always is.

After breakfast was complete and everything cleaned up it was time for a hike.  The trail leads around the lake so we had fantastic views of the lake.  It was a great hike through the woods and Lisa helped us identify many types of mushrooms.

After the hike, we helped the park celebrate it's 75th anniversary.  We listened to the talks, talked to the park rangers and even ate some food.  Very interesting to learn how the park systems operate and choose their hosts.  Very enjoyable.

Shortly after we return to camp, Judy shows up. Yippee!  Then a little while later, Bambi!  We have the entire group now.  Just in time to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day!   we all dress in our pirate gear and begin to prepare dinner.

Mary has invited the campground hosts (Bill and Judy) to join us for dinner.  They show up just in time to get us started.  I cannot tell you how wonderful these people are.




Dinner is served with a campfire going and we spend a lot of time eating, socializing, laughing and just enjoying life.














And then, there is Lisa.   Lisa is suddenly gone.  Where did she go?  Well.......  Lisa walked off for a short period of time to go paint this picture of the scenery.  (how does she do that?)   We are all in awe.  Including the campground hosts.  Such amazing talent we have in our group!

Bill and Judy say there farewells.  We all pull up chairs and sit by the fire to tell stories.  Which of course we all have!  We laugh and laugh and laugh.  :-)

It's a fairly early night for all of us (we'll blame it on all the fresh air) and we hit the tents around 11:00.

Sunday morning.
I wake to an outstanding view outside my tent.  The lake has fog rolling across it and it is stunning! Again, before I am out of my tent I am taking photos.  I get up and head out for a walk.  Lisa is up and joins me.  We walk down to another area of the lake and sit on a bench to just watch the fog on the water.  Every time the fog switched directions, the entire scenery changed.  The fog, the mirror images on the lake, the sun rising. Magnificent!

Unfortunately, it's time to pack up.  As much as I enjoy having a girl's weekend, I look forward to going home to see Jim.  I won't spend time talking about packing up or saying goodbye as people are leaving.  We have created yet another weekend of memories that I will always hold close to my heart.

To each of these women I say, THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU ALL!