Oooh, I do love to go camping

Himself is cooking supper and singing 'We're goin' campin' this weekend, we're goin' to have sooo much fun!' while he works. Himself is happy, because he is making hamburgers and because we are going camping this weekend.

This weekend is Canada Day weekend. Start of the camping season. Hoorah!! We found an amicable compromise this weekend. While we both like wilderness camping, Himself wants to fish this weekend and that involves a lot of black fly this time of year if you are in the wrong sort of spot. And Queenie will have Lady Moonbeam visiting (there ain't nuthun in this world worse than eco-friendly wilderness camping with Lady Moonbeam and a swarm of black fly in tow). So I kinda put the foot down this year, having done back country camping last year in similar circumstances.

Himself was bitterly disappointed when I did, as was I really, as the provincial park campsites here are expensive and liquor free and most of the private sites are full of ATV wankers. There was a bit of a grump going on last night, about how Himself never gets to do what he wants. But happily a bit of interweb research this morning found the Bear Falls Wilderness eco-camping site, run by Eli Shannon. So I called Eli and he had a site or two left and booked us into one right on the river where there are some nice trout for Himself and handy access to an outhouse for Queenie.

And then I showed it to Himself who deemed it suitable, so we're set. In fact, Himself is very excited that it might be good, and then we'll have a handy weekend spot for the summer. Routine is nice, isn't it.

The campsite is just outside the Tobeatic Wilderness in Queens County, which is a wonderful part of the province that we haven't really explored yet. And it beats staying in Kejji, the big park there, which is run by the Official Anti-Fun Police.

So now the preparations begin. Preparations for the first camping trip of the year are intense and take about three evenings. First we have to take the stove apart and clean it and put it back together again (one person one evening swearing, other person half an evening assisting). Then we have to assemble the gear, which involves finding the gear, cleaning and fixing the gear (although I am pretty good about storing things clean), remembering the new gear we got during the year (mental note to self - hammock, new chairs, new burner, new wind up radio, new lamps). That will take another evening (one person), while the other has to go and get the canoe and lifejackets from Leonard.

Finally, we have to get the provisions ready. Food, liquor, kindling, games, clothes, tents, bedding, cooking and eating equipment (two people falling over each other in apartment, one evening).

Eli says not to worry about firewood, there's loads there. That's the kind of campsite owner you like to talk to.

After about the third trip it gets easier. Because it all gets dumped in a corner of the apartment until the next time.

Then there is the obsessive checking of the weather forecast all week. So far the five day forecast is good for Saturday and blank. Tomorrow will reveal more.

Oooh, I do love camping. The neighbours are thinking about coming too.

I wonder if there are any bears in Bear Falls? There have been a lot of black bears spotted this year in Nova Scotia so far.

Ooooh, shiver.