Has anyone got any good camping stories?

Once when I was camping with my brother, father, and mother out in Algonquin Park (a lake called three mile lake) there was an enormous storm.

in the middle of the lake on an island there was a tree struck by lightning that fell on a tent -- killing one of the two counselors for a large group of teens.

My brother, father, and I, all paddled over once we heard the screaming of the kids out in their boat.

We ended up cooking dinner for them and trying to keep the one alive counselor (badly injured) awake the whole night so that nothing worse happened to him.

By the end of the night, somebody had paddled 15 miles to the lodge in order to call in a helicopter to get them out of there.

It was a terrifying night, and extremely trans formative.

 

I don't have anything as exciting as that, but I do have a story to share.

A couple years back, I set out on what was intended to be a six-week northbound hike of the Appalachian Trail. The very first day, it started raining at about 10 AM and just did not stop. By that night, I was damp but my pack was still dry, and I set up my tarp. The rain got so bad that night that one of my stakes tore out of the wet ground around 5 AM and the tarp collapsed. A big pocket of water crashed down on me and all my stuff. I was completely soaked.

Three days later, the rain still hadn't stopped and I still hadn't dried out. I called my dad and had him come get me.

It's definitely been a learning experience for how hard things can be when you're uncomfortable. Nothing was damaged when it got wet, I had plenty of food, etc. but I just couldn't keep going in that state.

 

Wow. That first story, just wow. What a blessing that you were there! I hate to think what those kids would have done without you.
And the second, that sounds horrible!

When we were camping this summer, a boy in a camp site nearby went in back of his site and was stung about 40 times because he stepped on a bee's nest. His dad tried to help him and was stung too. The dad is allergic to bees and the boys was stung too many times, so they brought them away in ambulances. It was a lot of (sad) excitment.

 

Hmm... went on a hike way back when and didn't come prepared. It wouldn't have mattered, but I had an accident and jazzed up my ankle. That's when it decides to rain - bringing the temperature down to around 25 degrees. I don't have the right supplies to make a fire. I do not have the resources to make a good shelter. I may be a bit lost - I don't know because I knocked my head pretty good. No cell service tops off the whole mess.

Long story short I managed a fire, built a lean-to and sat out the storm. After a couple of extra days in the wild I managed to make my way out. Slept a day or so in the car and then drove home. I learned the important lesson of always having supplies for fire making and to assume that Murphy's law will always be in effect given a chance.

 

Wow that is a very sad story Jonah. I don't really have any good camping stories. luckily nothing bad has ever happened when we going camping.

 

it's a miracle that you and your family were there to help those kids.
Who knows if they would have been able to figure out what to do if you hadn't intervened. You guys saved their lives. That is an amazing story and I hope the injured counselor is okay now. Thank you for sharing.

Nothing special has ever happened to me while camping. I just had a pleasant time away from technology and noise, and then went home when it was over. I guess that's a blessing.