Devil's Bathtub

Camping? I've gone several times. I can boast that I've camped on the island of Arran, off the coast of Glasgow, Scotland. But that place had some running water. Camping without running water? The idea intrigued me. More than the idea, the challenge was what interested me. To go without technology, without running water, to be "roughing it," to not be interrupted by TV, Facebook, Blog, to not be interrupted by the phone which reminds you of Facebook, apps, games to play, music, and to disappear above 7,000 ft amongst these skyscrapers of trees, these bright lights shining down at night which they call stars, and to be engulfed by the smell of pine and fresh air that pierces your lungs like you've never inhaled this quality before--yeah I'm in. All was left was to actually go out, hunt and eat our kill for the night. Yup well in a way we did that, I guess you can say we provided the fish, however I left too early to taste the little lake dwellers.

Camping? The idea to me is foreign, having grown up near or in a metropolitan city my whole entire life. Ask me to give you a 2 hr night time tour of NYC and you will be in awe of how much you can see in those quick 120 mins topped off with a sandwich from Mamoun's, only the best schawerma sandwich place in the states. Leaving the city life and being dropped in the middle of this massive forest, I've come to see a side of myself that I thought never really existed.

I wish I could take pictures of every inch of this serene place. I think the best was to prepare to go from 7500 ft to 9300 ft--our hike to Devil's Bathtub. It was 4.5 miles one way with the weight of about 12 lbs in my pack, the kamikaze style mosquitoes, and through a trail of giant trees. But as soon as we got over the incline that made your lungs feel like they were stretching to get air in, it was like this "bathtub" was ready to receive guests for the very first time. The picture above does not grasp this amazing place at that elevation. A bit of an ironic name for this place.

I think camping was topped off with the adrenaline rush of jumping 20 ft from a cliff into the unknown waters of Ward Lake. So overall, this nomad enjoyed lying under stars, talking with others about God, eating beans out of a can, tri-tip steak sandwiches, camping, climbing, fishing, hiking, jumping off a cliff, and above all being separated from the distractions of media. Jumping off the cliff initiated and sealed a desire to remain amongst those giants, lights, and climbing at elevations that stretched the lungs to breath.