Hamma Hamma Hamma Hamma Hamma Chameleon

The main Dan Duty for this weekend was camping. Melissa has been itching to get out into the wilderness ever since our stay on the Wenatchee River at The River Spot last month, so even though I had homework to do this weekend (or maybe because of it), I was like, "Sure, let's go".

Not to say I was initially all that enthusiastic. I had a big homework assignment due this weekend, so I was being pretty grouchy. Luckily, Melissa knew it was nothing personal--she ignored all my stubborn whining about pretty much everything--and we got on the road as soon as I'd finished my online meeting with my group from class.

That was a pretty late start, about 4:15pm. To be honest, I was now worried that since we were leaving so late, we would never find a spot. Our plan was to go to Staircase campground at the far end of Lake Cushman. But as we're on the road, I'm thinking how it's like the hottest weekend of the year and there's no way there will be any spots available. I also managed to take a wrong turn and we were in McCleary before I realized it--so I was extra pouty because now I'd delayed us even further. I passive-aggressively manipulated Melissa into taking the wheel since I was all mad and didn't want to drive any more. She was happy to do anything to help me just chill.

So we finally got to Hoodsport, where the sign indicated that Staircase campground was full. Dang. Well, we decided to just continue on up Hood Canal to the next closest campgrounds, along the Hamma Hamma River. Of course, I was already certain we wouldn't find anything, but Melissa was cheerfully single-minded in our venture, and I wasn't about to go any further in expressing my mood than just being generally surly. Well, we got to the first campground along the Hamma Hamma, and it was full. So was the next one. We turned around. At this point, I think Melissa was also feeling a little defeated. We were talking about just turning around and going home. It was almost 8pm and we were probably out of luck.

But on the way up, we'd seen a few pullouts along the river where people had parked to either fish or camp by the river. As a last-ditch effort, we decided to try one of these empty pullouts and see what the deal was.

The result was an awesome campsite. We were right on the river in an area that must be a rocky shoal during the spring floods; but this time of year, it was high and dry. No longer facing the certainty of having to return home after several hours on the road already, my mood was immediately lifted. We pitched our brand-new tent on a sandy area and set up our beds. A little exploring up the river led us to the framework of a makeshift shelter (fishermen probably throw a tarp over the top when it's raining), and luckily for us there was a crusty old grill basket hanging from a nail on one of the posts. We started our fire, packed our pre-made hobo dinners into the basket, and watched the food cook as darkness fell. After scalding the roof of my mouth on a delicious meal, we settled in by the fire, watched the full moon rise, and finally turned in.

This morning we took a dip in the river (f.y.i., the Hamma Hamma is colder than the Wenatchee River), had some yogurt with Melissa's homemade granola for breakfast, and packed up and left for home. I kept thinking about how much better I felt on the way back home. Being cut off from the internet, not having to worry about bathing, peeing wherever is convenient, doing nothing but watching fire for hours on end... These are all things that are good for us. They far outweigh the hassles involved. Usually.

Here is a list of hassles involved with camping. They're the things that might make me balk at the very idea of going camping, but which I get over once I'm out there.

1. Finding a tent (even if you own one, you probably lent it to someone else at some point)
2. Gambling with the weather
   
3. Forgetting to pack something important (like something to cook your food on)
   
4. Figuring out what to do if the campground is full
5. Being dirty
6. Obnoxious rednecks in the next campsite over
7. Biting insects
8. Having to poop in some shitty public restroom, a shittier outhouse, or the wilderness