Maybe A Weekend: November 6-8, 2020
So after isolating myself in my home every weekend for months,I finally decided with the weather permitting to get out to the great outdoors for a COVID friendly activity: Camping. I’ve always loved camping since my first night sleeping under the stars about 15 years ago. With the transition to big city life and my more far flung travels, camping unfortunately fell to the wayside. But with a global pandemic eating away at the calendar, I realized that now was the time to get back into camping.
My friend Chad was out for a two week hunting trip on the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and gave me the option to join him and his hunting partner at their campsite. So Friday morning after work I packed up my camping gear in my Xterra and hit the road. The drive from Phoenix is mostly highway driving until you exit Highway 95 onto the Kofa NWR, then it turns to a graded gravel road for several miles. Along King Road I spotted many people camped out in simple tents graduating up to full fledge RVs with every amenity. But as I traveled further down the road it gradually changed from a wide graded gravel road to a simple desert dirt road and then to a more rugged desert road cutting through several desert washes. While the road became more rugged, the high clearance of my vehicle was sufficient to cross the dry washes with a little patience and no need for 4WD.
After about 25 miles down the dusty road I finally reached the campsite. After greeting Chad and his hunting partner Daniel, they let me know that I came on the right day since the previous day hit 102 degrees but today was only 88 degrees with winds cooling things down further.
So I set up my tent and got my gear in order as a few drops of rain fell from the sky, although with almost four years since I last went camping it took a little longer to assemble my tent. Thankfully it was just a small 2 person backpacking tent and the rain never developed beyond those few drops. With my gear setup we went on a short hike across the small desert plateaus between the many washes. The others in the group looked for deer activity while I enjoyed the fresh air and looked for my next photo opportunity. After the short hike, we returned to camp just in time to see the sunset across the expanse of desert.
With the wind picking up a bit a campfire was out of the question, so everybody resorted to food that didn’t require heating. Not being particularly hunger I had a pouch of tuna with fresh squeezed lime juice and a few dashes of salt and pepper. This simple meal reminded me of many camping and backpacking trips from the past that included eating what was convenient. So with no campfire and the wind picking up, we called it an early night. At the point I had been up about 23 hours, so it took no convincing for me to turn in for the night. The wind picked up during the night but the temperature in my tent was comfortable.
The next morning I arose around 6:30am and prepared for my day. The hunters had left before sunrise to go on a scouting trip, so the campsite was all mine. The wind had disappeared from the previous night, so I would have a hot breakfast this morning. I combed the area for dead wood which is hard to find on the more accessible areas of Kofa NWR, but we were further out so I found enough for my needs. I started a small campfire just big enough to heat up the kettle. After the water boiled I was able to have a hearty pouch of oatmeal and a 32 oz container of hot tea with honey that lasted well into the afternoon.
As the afternoon progressed the wind picked up a little, but it didn’t stop us from taking another hike along the plateaus shadowing the washes. Once again the hunters looked for signs of deer while I tried to line up some landscape shots with my Pentax. After returning to camp we noticed the wind was picking up further and our tents were straining against the gusts of wind. Even with the tents firmly staked down, the wind was still threatening to uproot and/or topple the tents. So we moved our vehicles accordingly to create a windscreen for our tents, which proved to be a good idea.
With the wind gusting up to forty mph, a campfire was once again out of the question. We sat in the darkness for a while and ate some of our rations that required no heating and talked about the shifting weather and when we thought the wind would stop. But with no end in sight we turned in for the night and hoped that the morning would be calm.
Even with the vehicles as windscreens, the tents rustled for hours. I woke up at about 4am as my bladder signaled to me that it was time to get up. I noticed the there was no sound of wind against my tent and decided it was time to emerge. As I emerged from my tent I was greeted by a clear sky full of stars. After finding a bush to relieve my full bladder, I stayed outside awhile and stared at the stars. After awhile I realized that the temperature had dropped into the 40’s overnight, so I returned to my tent and waited for the sunrise to warm thing up a bit.
Upon sunrise I ventured back out and took some photos as I looked for some firewood. The hunters had already left for their morning scouting, so I started a small campfire to make myself a hot breakfast. I put the kettle on a boiled some water for tea and another round of oatmeal, but I decided against it with hot dogs being my alternative. After a nonconventional breakfast of grilled hot dogs and tea, I sat in my camp chair and admired the natural beauty of the desert on this calm Sunday morning.
So after enjoying a beautiful morning, it was time for me to head back down the dusty desert road and eventually back home to the big city. As I traveled down that road I thought over how relaxing it was to be out in the great outdoors again. Even with the wind howling throughout the night, it was still peaceful. There were no neighbors talking, no car engines starting up, no doors opening and closing, no sirens, and no car alarms. There was just the sound of the wind against the tents and trees, the crickets chirping, and an occasional coyote howl. This camping trip was not my greatest, yet very far from my worst camping trip. This camping trip will stay in my memory as the trip that reignited my love for camping. I will be going camping again soon, now it’s time to start planning my next adventure.
