The camping trip
May. 25th, 2021 07:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
whitewriterRight at that junction where summer days all of a sudden becomes winter nights.
Where you wonder where Autumn is and after a warm autumn its Winter.
My oxfam team decided to go on an overnight camp trip, hike 10km up some rock in the wilderness, --some of us properly prepared with 15kg packs on our backs (James, myself and Monica) and others (Rhiannon and her new boyfriend) carrying a small day pack each and a coles plastic bag with a large bulky container containing pesto pasta.
We left Sydney awfully late.
It started raining.
I brought zero rain gear because the forecast was dry.
My pack, had a rain jacket for itself. I on the other hand, had nothing but a fleece jumper.
We stopped at the last cafe (which I called a shack) and got coffee's. James wanted to hurry on. The girls wanted scons. We got scons.
We got to the carpark/1st campsite and huddled under a shelter with the rain pelting down as we split the scons and shoved jam and cream on each.
I had decided to carry a oroton umbrella with us for fear of not having rain gear.
We started on the trek.
There was a 100km race going on (which we drove past) and just as I was scoffing down lunch (the scon) and huffing up the 1st tiny hill of the day who should be running down it?
My work mate, Theresa (of all people and all places).
And she says HEY RITA.
And I look up from my scon (which I almost dropped in my surprise) and said HEY!
... She's like Hows it? and I'm like good - AND good luck!
and she was off down the mountain and i was shell shocked and half trying to swallow and remember her name at the same time.
I spent the next 2 days and night trying to remember what her name was because I had my old phone with me, and it has a cruddy battery, and the trip was starting at 70%. Which usually lasts half a day...
We walked maybe 5km.
At every junction, James and Monica who was mostly ahead (and I was in the middle) and Rhi and Daniel bringing up the rear - would stop and pointedly look at Rhi and Daniel and ask if they were okay, and if they wanted to quit and go back now or keep going.
At each junction Rhi would look at Daniel for an answer and he'd say nah all good lets keep going.
At one point James and Daniel were walking together and later on, James told me that Daniel had told him he had diabetes and that worried James even more that He'd get sick.
I'd preface this by saying that Earlier on in the week Rhi was messaging on the group chat on and off that Daniel was coming, then he wasn't sure, then he was, then he wasn't cause he didn't have proper shoes, then he was (dunno what changed) but then he was coming. Intertwined with previous conversation that Daniel was a serious gamer who used to be seriously overweight and only recently lost a bunch of it.
I was egging them on in the messenger by locating where the last maccas was in the area (surprisingly far) and where the last toilet was -- and locating the scon place as a shack (which it was) to hone in on the fact that we were roughing it guys. This was no glamping trip.
So after walking maybe 5km (or so it felt like) at a leisurely pace, but sorta fast-ish cause James wanted to make camp before it got dark (Reasonable) we came to a clearing with an already set up with remnants of a camp fire - with large logs situated around it all ready to go. There was a flatish area all around which looked perfect for the tents.
It was about 4:30 pm.
Team decided to stay.
James brings out his axe and proper gloves and I start gathering wood, and we all figure out the fire.
James and Monica had prepared precooked sausages to then cook on the fire.
I had prepared dehydrated rendang and rice (albeit in hindsight dehydrated fried rice is like savory rice bubbles: I kid you not) and the rice dehydrates terribly as I soon learned - - unless your planning to make congee don't do it.
I carried this Afghani bread from the shops near SSH and toasted those on the fire with varying success.
The marshmallows I bought from the Food Pantry (they didn't seem out of date at all) came out.
we got through perhaps approx half the bag.
I had brought melting chocolate for the bread and we had chocolate bread.
Daniel said he had bought x files on blue ray having never seen it before and got to episode 9-ish of season 1 before quitting.
So I let him know he was camping with one of the (if not only) massive x-files fans left in the state of N.S.W (having done the re-watch in 6 weeks whilst working full time and lets talk fanfiction! I think that qualifies.
It was pretty cold but the campfire was warm.
About 09:30 it was bedtime and we retired to our tents to struggle through a terrible night.
I fell asleep, but fitfully.
I felt as though people were walking about all night but I think it was just James and Monica going to the toilet.
I could detect a change in temperature from outside to inside the tent. It was a decent tent- but decently priced due my luck sourcing one secondhand.
Rhi and Daniel as I later heard - had frosticles on their sleeping bag (the tent was kmart and only had one layer.
We suffered in the tents on our lonesome until 04:00 when I turned the red light on in my lamp.
By 05:30 James had come out of their not-kmart tent (and they even had sleeping mats) and re-lit the fire.
By 08:30 we were set for home (the carpark).
By 10:30 we were at the carpark- and driving back to Leura.
by 11:30 we had hit Leura and were out for a coffee, and phoned James and Monica to see where their car was at but they'd changed their mind and were... somewhere.
So we went home. Which was lovely for me because I got to be in bed by 14:00 -- just in time to sleep for night shift.
I also, slept restlessly again (my fault, I was re-playing The Office whilst I slept) - and was at work by 19:30 looking like death warmed over.
People asked me if I was getting a cold. I just said I went camping yesterday (in the freeze) and bumped into Theresa on the track.
Turns out it was -4 that night.
Where you wonder where Autumn is and after a warm autumn its Winter.
My oxfam team decided to go on an overnight camp trip, hike 10km up some rock in the wilderness, --some of us properly prepared with 15kg packs on our backs (James, myself and Monica) and others (Rhiannon and her new boyfriend) carrying a small day pack each and a coles plastic bag with a large bulky container containing pesto pasta.
We left Sydney awfully late.
It started raining.
I brought zero rain gear because the forecast was dry.
My pack, had a rain jacket for itself. I on the other hand, had nothing but a fleece jumper.
We stopped at the last cafe (which I called a shack) and got coffee's. James wanted to hurry on. The girls wanted scons. We got scons.
We got to the carpark/1st campsite and huddled under a shelter with the rain pelting down as we split the scons and shoved jam and cream on each.
I had decided to carry a oroton umbrella with us for fear of not having rain gear.
We started on the trek.
There was a 100km race going on (which we drove past) and just as I was scoffing down lunch (the scon) and huffing up the 1st tiny hill of the day who should be running down it?
My work mate, Theresa (of all people and all places).
And she says HEY RITA.
And I look up from my scon (which I almost dropped in my surprise) and said HEY!
... She's like Hows it? and I'm like good - AND good luck!
and she was off down the mountain and i was shell shocked and half trying to swallow and remember her name at the same time.
I spent the next 2 days and night trying to remember what her name was because I had my old phone with me, and it has a cruddy battery, and the trip was starting at 70%. Which usually lasts half a day...
We walked maybe 5km.
At every junction, James and Monica who was mostly ahead (and I was in the middle) and Rhi and Daniel bringing up the rear - would stop and pointedly look at Rhi and Daniel and ask if they were okay, and if they wanted to quit and go back now or keep going.
At each junction Rhi would look at Daniel for an answer and he'd say nah all good lets keep going.
At one point James and Daniel were walking together and later on, James told me that Daniel had told him he had diabetes and that worried James even more that He'd get sick.
I'd preface this by saying that Earlier on in the week Rhi was messaging on the group chat on and off that Daniel was coming, then he wasn't sure, then he was, then he wasn't cause he didn't have proper shoes, then he was (dunno what changed) but then he was coming. Intertwined with previous conversation that Daniel was a serious gamer who used to be seriously overweight and only recently lost a bunch of it.
I was egging them on in the messenger by locating where the last maccas was in the area (surprisingly far) and where the last toilet was -- and locating the scon place as a shack (which it was) to hone in on the fact that we were roughing it guys. This was no glamping trip.
So after walking maybe 5km (or so it felt like) at a leisurely pace, but sorta fast-ish cause James wanted to make camp before it got dark (Reasonable) we came to a clearing with an already set up with remnants of a camp fire - with large logs situated around it all ready to go. There was a flatish area all around which looked perfect for the tents.
It was about 4:30 pm.
Team decided to stay.
James brings out his axe and proper gloves and I start gathering wood, and we all figure out the fire.
James and Monica had prepared precooked sausages to then cook on the fire.
I had prepared dehydrated rendang and rice (albeit in hindsight dehydrated fried rice is like savory rice bubbles: I kid you not) and the rice dehydrates terribly as I soon learned - - unless your planning to make congee don't do it.
I carried this Afghani bread from the shops near SSH and toasted those on the fire with varying success.
The marshmallows I bought from the Food Pantry (they didn't seem out of date at all) came out.
we got through perhaps approx half the bag.
I had brought melting chocolate for the bread and we had chocolate bread.
Daniel said he had bought x files on blue ray having never seen it before and got to episode 9-ish of season 1 before quitting.
So I let him know he was camping with one of the (if not only) massive x-files fans left in the state of N.S.W (having done the re-watch in 6 weeks whilst working full time and lets talk fanfiction! I think that qualifies.
It was pretty cold but the campfire was warm.
About 09:30 it was bedtime and we retired to our tents to struggle through a terrible night.
I fell asleep, but fitfully.
I felt as though people were walking about all night but I think it was just James and Monica going to the toilet.
I could detect a change in temperature from outside to inside the tent. It was a decent tent- but decently priced due my luck sourcing one secondhand.
Rhi and Daniel as I later heard - had frosticles on their sleeping bag (the tent was kmart and only had one layer.
We suffered in the tents on our lonesome until 04:00 when I turned the red light on in my lamp.
By 05:30 James had come out of their not-kmart tent (and they even had sleeping mats) and re-lit the fire.
By 08:30 we were set for home (the carpark).
By 10:30 we were at the carpark- and driving back to Leura.
by 11:30 we had hit Leura and were out for a coffee, and phoned James and Monica to see where their car was at but they'd changed their mind and were... somewhere.
So we went home. Which was lovely for me because I got to be in bed by 14:00 -- just in time to sleep for night shift.
I also, slept restlessly again (my fault, I was re-playing The Office whilst I slept) - and was at work by 19:30 looking like death warmed over.
People asked me if I was getting a cold. I just said I went camping yesterday (in the freeze) and bumped into Theresa on the track.
Turns out it was -4 that night.
