When most people camp in the Park, they use a tent. But in our case, Mike said he never uses a tent, just takes a couple of tarps. One edge was strung between nearby trees, and the bottom edge was held in place with a few rocks. A strategically placed branch or two produced a shelter that pretty much looked like a shed roof. Theoretically, it should have shed rain the same way. A second tarp went on the ground to keep the bottom side of the sleeping bags clean and dry.
You’ll note, there’s no sides, so if the rain was being driven by some wind, some adjustments would have been necessary. Also, without sides, animals can just choose which one of us to start with. Mike told a story about a previous trip when he was waken by a raccoon bedding down on his stomach. Startled Mike threw him off. Both survived to tell the story.
The bear encounter I had many years ago had some similarities. While camping on Opeongo Lake
For 3 nights, we slept under Mike’s shelters without animal incidents or rain. We felt fortunate. Other than sleeping bags, the only protection we needed was for our heads. At night, temperatures dropped down to single digits. Mike and Joe wore tuques. I pulled my sleeping bag liner up over my head, and left a breathing hole so I didn’t get too much moisture inside. With clear skies and a bright moon, maybe we looked so odd, the animals were scared off. Or possibly, without a tent to muffle the snores, maybe they didn’t even get that close.
Click here for the next story in this series;
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2011/09/getting-older-and-softer.html
Click here for the next story in this series;
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2011/09/getting-older-and-softer.html
