The youth from church got to go on an overnight beach trip, and that meant Tyler and I got to go as well. Did I ever mention that my family (of origin) has never been a camping family. Tyler comes from one, but I think I have rubbed off on him. We didn't even have sleeping bags until the day of the camping trip when I went to pick them up at Freddies.
We crammed 3 15-16 year old boys into our Corolla and ended up at Camp Meriweather in the pitch black RAIN. Duh, Sundy, camping requires more than a sleeping bag. I did not have rain gear (which really is a must for Oregon, anyway), a flashlight, extra socks, etc. It made for a pretty cold and miserable night. After a jog on the beach (I actually found an unbroken sand dollar for the first time in my life, including 6 years of living on the Chesapeake Bay), the rain had cleared enough for us to go on a 5 1/2 mile hike to Cape Look Out. "Look out" is right, particularly after a night full of rain. The mud was thick, and of course it started raining as we made our way through the "temperate" rain forest :). Yes, this picture is me, not a friendly troll, all decked out in three sweatshirts, a blanket, and the emergency poncho I found in our roadside emergency kit in the trunk.