Frozen Panties

Drizzly and Misery

The rain was coming down hard and then in annoying, cold drizzles. We hiked upwards and then flat for a few miles and through a river, through which, I was very glad to have Windsor. The camp site was a relatively clear area of pine and oak forest, with soaking wet pine needles all over the ground.

Sara and I picked a place far from everyone in a corner made by two fallen trees shafts and lay down our shitty trash bag tarps that we were assured would work, set up out ratchet tent (mine would have been better) and stretched on the rain fly. The whole process was misty and we were ready to change our clothes and heat up for our hour of free time.

Sitting on our sleeping bags, I stripped off my underwear and my bra and shirt. I put an a hoodie and slipped my damp shorts back on. Knowing that my panties would not dry any time soon,  I threw them in the corner of the tent. (foreshadowing- big mistake). We crawled into our sleeping bags and shivered for an hour. Man: screw the kids. They were fine. Their tent wasn't worn thin like ours.

Eventually, a desire for food made us come out and put on our wet boots and jackets. Bringing a large metal cup and what they gave us as "food": croutons and canned chicken, we trudged off to the campfire circle with our propane stove and lit it after 10 minutes of failure due to it being BROKEN! we added the dried bread cubes and water. We stewed it down to a muck and put in a syrupy can of chicken breast. Of course, they though that I should go without one because of a shortage of 1 because I was the oldest, yet Sara ad I were the only ones through puberty and we were ravenous.

Us two shared the metal cup of food and ate it like we'd never get food again because well- it'd be a while. Some chicken fell on the muddy ground. Sara and I clawed at the ground to retrieve our food and in a stupid second, I grabbed the floating worm off of my chicken and ate it, chewing quickly. Although they are edible and good nutrition, they feel disgusting. Soon enough, we ran away to our tent to strip down and slide back into our sleeping bags. We played cards and match stick games and talked about everything, continually getting "That's not camp appropriate!" yelled from our new neighbors.

It became dark and the only thing that we could do was sleep. Kind of. We were freezing and the rain turned to hail. Water flooded the corners of the tent on my side and it seemed that we were on a slight slope. I shivered constantly and felt my triple socked feet begin to burn with cold. I knew from Wilderness First Aide (a very high rank of training for specifically the wilderness) that I had moderate hypothermia and Sara was not far behind me. I had a feeling and I knew that I would have to utter the 4 worst words possible at the time- I. have. to. pee. I tucked the wet clothes across the top of the tent with para cord including the absolutely soaked panties, before unzipping the tent, running out barefoot (I had no feeling and my boots were filled with water.) and peeing as fast as possible, the steam leaving my body and freezing me. In true Girl Scout fashion, we didn't have a pee bottle to cap and put in our sleeping bag like true backpackers.

The night had just begun.

Up next: Emergency Heating Procedures: I have to do what with her?!