Skip to main content

Solo Camping in the Wilds of Three Rivers


It's 9:47pm and I just entered my tent. I'm camping solo (for the first time!) at Three Rivers Hideaway (last campground/RV park before entering Sequoia National Park) and I'm towards the back of the grounds, away from the motor homes and double wides. I'm also the only tent in the park. Picture a large dirt field with a few picnic tables and fire pits, a white building at the end that houses two restrooms and a shower, and then me, in my 4-person tent, next to my parked Honda Ridgeline, rapidly one finger typing on my iPhone. 

I'm nervous. Anxious. Worried about the possibilities. This is a new experience; I've always camped with friends or family, surrounded by tents and motor homes of strangers. There's safety in numbers, right? I'm missing that here.  Every little sound makes my hearing sharpen as my brain tries to identify what I'm hearing and my increased heartbeat prays that it won't become a danger to me. 

Bears. Cougars. Two legged threats. How do I trust everything and everyone around me to actually fall asleep? The only similar 'fearful of falling asleep' feelings I've ever experienced (and it doesn't truly compare because the threat was in my head) is when I've been by myself in the house and just watched a scary movie: I start to wonder if Freddy Krueger is under my bed or a serial killer is waiting in the closet. But that's an easy fix: I turn on the lights, check under the bed and in my closet, then turn on a Disney movie. 

Right now, here, alone in my tent, I just lay here, listening to the barking of dogs (what exactly are they barking at so late at night...?), the slithering of...I don't know what, and the incessant chirping of crickets. Waiting for the sounds of a larger animal to make its way towards me. Waiting to hear a stranger's footsteps in the gravel. Waiting for exhaustion to creep in and for sleep to overtake me. 



I have a piercing safety whistle, a small knife (thanks mom), bear spray, and the keys to set off the truck alarm and/or light. Hopefully, if anything does happen, I'll make enough racket to alert the old guys at the weekly poker game (they apparently play until 2am each week) or someone in the RV's atop the hill. 

Uff. Da. 

It doesn't help that I just watched the Astros beat the Dodgers in the 11th inning! Whoop! What an amazing game. Okay, perhaps the elevated heart rate and anxiousness could be due to the game. Maybe. Like 5%. 

On a positive note: I watched the game with the GM of Three Rivers and she made me feel safe here. Honestly, if I hadn't gone back to the front office to watch the game, I most likely would have slept in the truck. I was still tempted...I'm just so isolated. 

If it scares you even a little bit, it's good for the soul, right?

Here's to hoping for a restful and quiet night of sleep.

Updates through the night:
11:30pm - multiple dogs went off on a barking spree. Luckily, they ran in the opposite direction of me. Still don't know what they were chasing...

Fell into a deep sleep (yay) then woke up thinking it was 6am. Nope. 2am. 

3:00am - truck beeped and lit up the tent. I flipped over, grabbed the keys (which were arms reach away from me so I hadn't accidentally hit them) and hit lock. Tent dimmed. I sure hope I was dreaming this and the truck didn't just unlock on its own. I even put on my shoes to check to see if any of the windows were down (while at Grand Tetons, I was sitting on the truck bed, keys in my pocket, when all four widows rolled down half way. Researched it and it's either Honda designed or a glitch but I haven't been able to replicate it.). 

4:32pm - a slight shuffling sound like a possum or raccoon. Hit the truck lock a few times in hope the lights and beeps would scare it away. No additional sounds. Maybe it's still there? Hiding. Waiting. 

5:18am - someone let their dog out to go to the bathroom and kept telling it to hurry up. Which brought to my attention my own need for the facilities. Shoes on, headlamp in hand, knife in the pocket, walking to the bathroom. 3 mins later...made it back!! No life forms spotted. 

6:35am - awakened by the sounds of a jingling dog collar, the shuffling of paws in gravel, and the whispered voice of an old man saying, "No, Queenie"  "No, Queenie"  "No, Queenie" as the dog sniffed around the tent. Then I stretched my entire body, arms over my head, legs straight and extended as far as both could go. Which caused my left foot to experience a Charley horse. #dehydrated 

6:56am - on the other side of the fence (I'd say less than 15 feet away), a large (I'm assuming this size based on the amazing talent of my ears) dump truck begins backing up.  Roaring engine. Beep. Beep. Beeep. Would it ever shut up?  

Perhaps it was time to unwrap myself from my sleeping bag, roll off my air mattress, and start the day? 

Nope, back to sleep for another 40 mins. 

And hey! I survived my first solo night camping! 



SFK 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

All Roads Led To...Houston?!

One year ago today, I hopped on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona, to begin a life of travel. I had just quit my parks and recreation job (3 years, 10 months…new record!), put all my possessions in storage (after selling/donating/trashing over 60% of it) and was jobless, homeless, and ecstatic about the unknown future. So, what made a 31 year old woman quit her job, vacate her townhouse, and say good bye to her friends and the life she’d known for the last 7 years? Maybe it was my navy brat childhood and moving every year. I developed a love to travel, to explore new places, meet strangers. Luckily for my addiction, my 20’s were all about traveling...working on cruise ships for two years, backpacking through Western Europe, visiting Central America, taking monthly trips when I settled down at a 9-5 job. I entered my 30’s and was content with a flexible job, recreational soccer/softball, and a good friend base. Work was great, but wanted more responsibility. So, I applied for

Big Bend National Park: A Stargazer’s Paradise

Living in Houston, I don’t often look up at the sky. Maybe if I realize it’s a full moon, I’ll find time to sit outside and enjoy the beauty. But the other days of the month? Stars don’t exist inside the 610 Loop of Houston. Which made our venture out to Big Bend even more spectacular. A perk to working for myself is that I’m able to schedule my days off whenever I want. So, when a nurse friend tells us she has 10 days off and wants to travel somewhere, we decided to go big. We narrowed down our destination to either northern Arkansas or Big Bend National Park. Then when vacations days were settled for the other 2 friends to take 6 days, we decided on Big Bend. You don’t happen to drive nearby or randomly decide to detour to Big Bend. The only reason you’ll  travel anywhere near the park is because you purposely decide to make the trek to west Texas.  It’s 9+ hours from Houston (not including stops for gas, food, or detours to Del Rio for scenic routes), or 200+ miles if you decide t

My Lightweight Pack

I’ve never bought and returned so many items in my life. Trying on clothes, trying to find those perfect sandals, the best dress. The most lightweight shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t make me itch.   Luckily, I had a lot of backpacking supplies from when we trekked down to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon and when I backpacked Europe in 2009. Oh! Forgot to mention that…we’re backpacking. It’s like a flashback to my 20’s. Why am I doing this again?  ;) The name of the game is Ounces. I need all supplies that enter my backpack to be as light as possible but of the best material so that it can withstand being worn often. The Camino Powers that Be recommend carrying only 10% of your body weight and since water weighs 2.2 pounds per liter, I’m not left with much room to carry clothes and supplies. Plus we have to account for all weather possibilities: hot, cold, rain, potentially snow. And cold weather gear takes up so much space/weight.  Truly, my main concern is the first two d