Another Epic Camping Trip

Ever since I can remember, my church group has joined a second church group on a crazy camping trip out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve been going every year since 2008. This will be my ninth year in a row! Before that, I went whenever my parents would take me. ;p

Every year in August, we all make the long trip down a bumpy, rocky dirt road to our usual camping site on the beach. There is no electricity, no buildings, not even a bathroom; and the road down is almost impassible in a small car. Some of the guys always build an outhouse for us, and we set up tents around the campfire. Everyone brings food, and we all share. It’s a big group, probably an average of about 40 people or so. We bring four wheelers and dirt bikes–whoever has them–to drive, and sometimes “other things” get brought. When one of the guys used to bring his boat, he’d hook up a tube behind it and we’d go for rides in the water. These weren’t your ordinary rides though, because it soon became a game of who could stay on the tube and who would end up being skipped across the top of the water like a rock! (I was one of those people, just for the record.) Last year, he built a “redneck tiltawhirl,” which hooked up behind a four wheeler and spun as the axle turned. It was very dizzying but VERY fun! Now whenever we see a crazy ride or if we see somebody do something crazy, we say, “That is totally something that we would do at the campsite!”

The thing I love most about this trip is the company. Everybody is so positive and we all have a great time together. I think there’s something special about it that draws us all together and makes it hard to resist going year after year. Mostly, we’re all there for each other. I love that. I think what really showed me the spirit of this trip was a few years ago when one of the regular-goers had car trouble on the way home, and everyone in our group–everyone: cars, trucks, vans, and trailers alike–pulled over to help her. We had probably about 10 or 15 vehicles lined up along the side of the road, and others who were not from either of our two groups were driving past watching us in awe. I always knew the true meaning of this trip, but this was when I actually saw a pure, perfectly concrete example of it. It isn’t just about driving around being crazy and having fun, it’s about bringing us together as the family we are. :)

Photo taken 3 years ago of the sunrise one morning on our 2013 trip.

Being isolated from the rest of the world and completely set apart from civilization with friends and family is one of the best things in the world. This trip always leaves me feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. I’m looking forward to a great trip 2016! This will also complete #16, “Go on another EPIC camping trip,” on my list of 21 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 21!