Love Camping...But It Can Stink!
Camping....I love camping.....I don't get to do it near as much as I would like to. HOWEVER...I got my belly full of nature this weekend! Since Steve was out of town..actually, out of the country trekking around India, Adrian and I decided we'd go camping while he was gone. I did my research - obviously as you will see, not enough research - and we decided on a fun-filled weekend at John Bryan State Park near Yellow Springs, Ohio. It would be fairly close to home - lucky for us, as you will also see - and the hiking at Clifton Gorge should be beautiful. 
Everything was working out fine, except for the rain which we would have preferred would have held off until Sunday evening. We hadn't had rain in days...surely it could wait another 48 hours...but I guess not. But no biggie...I've camped in the rain before - it can still be fun. Fortunately, the rain held off long enough for us to get the tent up - good.
Let me think now....just when did our troubles begin.... Maybe about the first time either of us had to go to the bathroom. We'd strategically selected our campsite based on how far we would be from the bathrooms. So we thought we were all set - but as we drove into the campground for the first time we started to notice something was missing. We weren't seeing any structure big enough to house the all-important shower facilities. So feeling nature calling, we set out to research what we'd gotten ourselves into. Pits...that's all we could find. Not just pits...but pits full of flies, lots of baby flies...and you know what that means....and for those of you who have had to use pits in the past might be disgusted to find that some of the pits were full to the floor. Yes...to the floor. Not good. Still no showers so we inquired at the camp office. They told us they didn't have showers (I honestly wouldn't have figured a state park with no showers but now you know) but that the public pool in Yellow Springs sometimes let's folks shower there for a mere 75 cents. So we set out to see. When we finally found the pool in Yellow Springs there was a sign posted - DANGER...pool closed. Now you know THAT CAN'T be good news! So there went our hopes of a shower anytime this weekend. Now before you start thinking we're total wimps....we're not. We can deal with no showers for a weekend...but it just would have been nice to be prepared. I won't elaborate any further on that one.
Anyway...we were there for the excellent hiking....camping was little more than a way to the means. So we set out to hike. We decided on our first trail and uh oh...no pets allowed! What we didn't know (more research might have helped once again) was that Clifton Gorge is split up into two areas. 
One is John Bryan State Park and we knew they permitted pets. The other part is an Ohio Nature Preserve and they do NOT allow pets. Adrian had brought Sydney with her - her toy fox terrier. So, now hiking was going to be greatly restricted....restricted to the less beautiful parts of the gorge. But oh well...we were up for making the best of it. We accidentally stumbled upon Young's Dairy - that was a treat...literally. If you're ever in the area, go!
We were enjoying the hiking...taking in the sights....getting lots of exercise...nature was good. But nature was about to take a nasty turn on us. Saturday night, after making YUMMY pizzas over the camp fire and while we were cooking up a marshmallow for a tasty s'more, nature wandered into our camp and sprayed poor little Sydney. Yep....a skunk had found us!...and when Sydney found the skunk it did what it does best...stink! Adrian figured out what happened first - the details are still a little fuzzy - but when she ran screaming and hid behind me - I knew something was very bad. All I could think to do was stay close to the fire...it won't come close to the fire! I didn't have my flashlight on me and so we couldn't see beyond what little campfire light we had. Where was that little stinker?!!? Was he still in our camp?!?! What if he attacks us?!!?! Eventually I figured, we can't stand here all night and my flash light is in the tent - so all three of us made a mad dash for the tent - there we felt safe. While we decided what we were going to do, Sydney rolled and rubbed all over our blankets and sleeping bags....not good...not good at all...but hindsight is always 20/20 right? :) In a frantic attempt just to get away, we threw anything edible into my camping tub, closed up the tent (another not-so-good idea), and headed for home. We decided we'd go back to my place to bathe, launder, and sleep and we'd come back tomorrow for our stuff. Adrian held Sydney in the car all the way home - about an hour and 15 minute drive with the windows down...we about froze. I'll spare you all the details but by 2:30am we'd done all we could do and were completely tapped out of adrenaline. Adrian slept with Sydney that night....now there's a dedicated pet-owner! We made it back to John Bryan the next day...our stuff stunk something horrible!! Especially the tent and everything in it!
If you're one of those people who likes to take lessons away from yours and other's experiences, then here ya go...what we learned:
- A perimeter camping site (one that backs up to the woods), is not necessarily the best place to camp - too much "critter potential".
- If you smell a skunk the first night camping - don't take your chances...MOVE!
- Do your research on required facilities..."latrine" does not mean flusher and shower!
- If you plan on hiking with pets, don't assume everyplace is pet friendly...all are not.
- If "someone" you love gets skunked...triage it by wrapping it up in a single blanket and wiping it off until you can get it bathed...otherwise it will wipe itself and all that makes it stink all over everything else.
- Don't announce to those around you that YOUR (collective YOUR) dog was sprayed by a skunk lest those around you assume that YOU (again collective YOU) are a "couple".
- And finally...never, never assume that Elvis is dead
169 Comments:
Look at it this way, you will have so much to tell Stephen when he comes home. I used to go and hike at that park. It is quite close to my hometown and my sister, nieces and I used to picnic there. We never attempted to stay overnight. Youngs jersey dairy is a must. Great ice cream. My question is, how do you get skunk spray out of a tent.... Poor little Sydney....
Interesting you should ask, Mar...because I forgot to include the de-skunking formula in my story. This is what we put on the dog - the jury is still out regarding just how effective it is. It's 1 qt Hydrogen Peroxide (3%), 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon dish soap. Spray it on the poor little animal (stay away from it's eyes) and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. We also used Fabreeze on EVERYTHING...that seemed to do well and I also used this solution I bought as Sam's Club a long time ago called Odo-ban. I can use Odo-ban in the laundry - that's nice. I'm still working on my sleeping bag so we'll see if it does the trick!
Amazing. This story gets better and better every time i hear it. But not because it's being embellished... because it's simply an amazing story. Your entire camping trip sounds so awesome. I almost wish I was there, except at the same time, not really. I can't stop laughing.
As for how well the formula worked on the dog, by the time I got home from the other side of the globe, I could only occassionally catch a sniff of skunk on her. I think when she's wet the scent comes to life again... you know, like putting water on a Gremlin.
I am alive, and I smell like a skunk.
Welcome Home Steve-O! :)
I've been lucky. The closest I came to a skunk was once when I was camping. I woke up about 6 in the morning to the sound of a rustling bag outside my tent. I had left some food outside and figured a raccoon was gettign into it. So I unzipped the tent door, looked outside, and saw that the "raccoon" was black and white. So I zipped the tent back shut and went back to sleep. I figured that "raccoon" could have as much as he wanted!
Hi Bill! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Next time you're here, sign my guestbook and tell us who you are!
The first night we were camping, I woke up to the smell of skunk at least twice - maybe three times. I felt safe inside my tent except Sydney also smelled it and was curious...I was so afraid she was going to growl at it and he would spray our tent. But luckily that didn't happen.
You two were very brave to even go camping by yourselves let alone have all the problems you did. Remind me to not go camping in a secluded park with not showers and toliets. Doesn't sound like a fun trip to me.
hahah sounds like it was more of a learning experience than a camping adventure.
I learned many valuable lessons, yes. :)
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One afternoon, I was in the backyard hanging the laundry when an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home. But when I walked into the house, he followed me, sauntered down the hall and fell asleep in a corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back. He resumed his position in the hallway and slept for an hour. This continued for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap. " The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with ten children - he's trying to catch up on his sleep." I cried from laughter Sorry, if not left a message on Rules.
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