tent and shelter

tent and shelter
Originally uploaded by wereldmuis.

I guess I was the only person foolish enough to be hiking the Midstate Trail this weekend. I did not meet any other hikers on my trek. When I arrived at the Long Pond shelter, I found it empty, which was kind of pleasant.

It was not so pleasant to find the usual signs of partiers - beer cans, empty liquor bottles, and so on. And shortly after I arrived, the peace was broken by a couple of ATVs being driven down an ATV track close by. In addition, the mosquitoes seemed to be waking up just as I arrived. Fortunately, they weren't swarming! I was able to set up my tent without too much trouble, but I had to eat my dinner strolling around, or I'd become their dinner.

Since it was nearing sunset, I decided to retire to the relative comfort of my tent. I had brought Thoreau's Walden with me. I had a great plan to sit up reading till it got too dark. Instead, I read it lying down in my small tent, happily ensconced within the mesh. I had to wonder just what Thoreau - or indeed the native Americans - did when mosquitoes were out swarming as they were today.

I usually don't sleep so well when camping out - too many strange noises, the hard ground underneath, and a vague feeling of insecurity make it difficult to stay asleep. This night, I was waked a few times by the eerie calls of a hooting owl. It was very loud. Since I had kept the fly of the tent open, I was able to catch a glimpse of the owl sailing between the trees in the darkness.