Camping, a tornado, and a fierce creature

For whatever reason, various posts about camping have occupied a good portion of my Facebook feed this season.

They range from those posted by true camping folk who excitedly await the end of winter and early spring so they can head to the lake, to those posted by folks who are adamant they would not camp, but begrudgingly admit that they might succumb to the uber luxury of glamping.

When I was a kid, my Dad had a boat that we took to the lake often in the summer, mainly to fish, sometimes to ski, but we never ventured into the camping scene.

When I was four, my Dad bought a tent big enough to sleep four people. He also got all of the accessories needed (camp stove, new cooler, etc.) 

That next weekend, Dad, Mom, and I loaded up all of our gear and supplies, and went over to Milford Lake for our first camping excursion. The trip started off well and we were having a good time.....until the storms came. 

Not only were we camping in a stormy area, but our part of the lake was immediately put into a tornado warning. Dad literally stuffed us and all of our gear/provisions into our old Pontiac Bonneville and we headed for home. 

The quick departure from the lake seemed somewhat exciting to four-year-old me, but I quickly caught on to the seriousness of the situation because of the looks of concern on my parents' faces. Dad told me much later, when recounting the adventure, that the tornado had lifted when the storm went directly over us, but later dropped down again.

We made it home safely in the middle of the night.

Later that summer, we used the tent for my fifth birthday party sleepover. I and several friends spent the night "camping" in the backyard. We had snacks and a cooler full of drinks. 

My poor parents took shifts watching over us from the back porch. Dad rigged up a portable work light to shine on the front of the tent. And while those were simpler and safer times, we kids in the tent did have a bit of a scare in the middle of the night. 

All of a sudden, we saw the shadow of a fierce animal stealthily creeping up to the tent, and, of course, we all screamed. Turned out it was only a kitten who was more scared of us! Nonetheless, the kitten joined us for a bit.

All in all, it was a fun sleepover with little sleep! It also was the last time the tent was used, as the first-camping-trip-tornado jinx put a damper on our desire to experience the great outdoors.