Best/worst camping stories....whats yours?

[sal_jr]

LOL- Dangit sparky, I told ya not to post that till the account has enough cash for that check to clear!

You're a great bank partner too, there Sparky.

Geez... How do I quantify one trip over another for the best one? The only difference I suppose would be wether the leg of boar or the leg of fallow deer or the ribs or the chops were better!!! Cause the sleeping is the same.

I sure do know the worst one though:

Three summers ago I was REALLY REALLY spending a lot of time on the river. My buddy and I would leave home on thursday night and show up some time sunday evening.... reaking and covered in bug bites.
This was supposed to be another one of those weekends......
Well, on July 3rd we went to near the mouth of the Grand River... near a town called Coopersville for a whole weekend of flatheadding and beer tasting. We gathered a trash can with 50 gills in it, dragged a flatbottom boat to the river, launched out, and went straight across from the launch to an island to set up a fishing spot.

Once we got everything settled, we put the poles out, cracked a cold one, and sat in the lawn chairs for the night. Not 10 minutes later, we were both standing in front of two very upset DNR guys. They asked why we landed on the island. When we told em we were fans of catfishing... that it was our favorite sport, they both lightened up. Neither had seen anyone in their 10 years working that area going specifically for big cats with big rods and big baits. We talked it up for a good 30 minutes and they left. Before they left they said we could not camp there, but could stay as long as we like.

We did. That night we brought in 12 of them cats- some channels some flatties, but the smallest was around 10 pounds- nothing to shrug about.

6am the next morning though, the rain came a fallin down. I popped out my tent and used it as a tarp. I didnt even open the bag of poles- just took out the tent and used it to cover me. My buddy had passed out in his lawn chair. Soon as the rain stopped, I took the boat to cooperstown for doughnuts and coffee to bring back. On the way out of the boat and onto shore I misstepped and went right into a muskrat hole, BADLY spraining my leg. It was so bad that by the time the DNR came by 15 minutes later, my ankle was the same width as my thigh.

"What the F....?" I heard the DNR guy say as his boat hit the shore. "Do you take me for an idiot?"

Now my buddy was pretty hung over, on top of probably being the absolute worst person I have ever seen at the art of being "tactful". He had cans all over around him and he didnt wake up even when I roared in with the coffee... but was stirring a bit by the time the DNR came ashore.
Just as the DNR guy said his line, my buddy pipes up, "What... are you taking a poll?"

License, registration, etc.... later:

They made us empty our tackle boxes. They made us empty the boat. They made us count each and every bluegill in the can. They searched us, our cooler, and even my truck on shore across the river from us.

Aparently using the tent as a tarp qualified us as "camping".

My buddy got the ticket though cause he was the smart aleck. 50 dollar fine.

Did that stop our weekend? NO.... my bud wanted to fish more.

So that night, with god-only-knows how much beer was in me and wothout any tylenol or anything, my buddy ended up hoisting me over his shoulder and pushing me onto some rusted barges to sit and fish another night. By then my ankle had turned blue all the way around and halfway up the calf.

The next day when I finally got to the hospital they asked if I was kidnapped or forced to stay anywhere, due to the severity of the injury and the long time between injury and care. I just laughed and told them they didnt understand how dedicated we are to fishing. It took 5 weeks for the bruises to go away. I still pop it out once in a while if Im not in high top boots.

It is still the worst trip I have ever been on. I dont want to top it. ever.

[GMC FishHauler]

i dont know whether to say the time woke up covered ( yes covered) in seed ticks or the time i woke up to small creek flowing through my tent

[olefin]

Enjoyed all the post.

We camped for 20 years, went a few times in a tent but didn't like that so we bought a popup tent camper. The only bad time I remember was in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. My wife was a little scared of where we were camping for there was no one else around but us... we thought! I think we both awaken about the same time, we heard foot steps coming towards the camper. Then noise outside, by the time I grabbed my pistol and made it to the door they were gone into the woods. I went outside and found they had made off with our icebox and Coleman lantern that was on the table.

Another time was kind of funny. Again, we were in CO beside a mountain stream. We awaken hearing a noise at our camper door. I had added one of those little safety chains so if someone open the door we would hear it. Well that was what happen, the door had been open and the chain caught it. I jumped up and ran to the door... went outside, I could see no one. It was quite a while before we both went back to sleep. OK, a while later we awake to the same noise with the door handle being turned.
Now this has us both upset and no way can we go back to sleep. We are laying there talking... then another noise down the road from our camper... I shine my light down there and here is this big coon trying to get the lid off a trash can. So now we know what open the camper door and we can go back to sleep. LOL

I had about the same thing happen in a camping trailer on the Rio Grande in TX. A friend and myself were there night trot line fishing. We had seen strangers and we both were armed. It was about 3 AM, we had just got back from checking our lines and sitting at the table drinking coffee. We hear something and see the door moving.... yep, another coon!
Coons were bad there, we had to tie our fish baskets under the boat to keep the coons out.

Once in the New Mexico mountains we were awaken from the noise that a black bear was making outside at our table... but this time we only enjoyed the show for we had upgraded from a popup to a motorhome.

[bigcatmaniac]

The best camping trip i was ever on was when a bunch of us went camping on the river, we caught a lot of fish and had a lot of fun.

The worst camping trip i was ever on was probably when it started raining friday night and didnt stop until sunday evening, river came up probably 6 feet and the truck and trailer had gotten towed out of the ramp parking lot because the river had came up and almost took the truck.

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[cattinfever999]

One of my favorites was when Kelli and I had been riding around one night when we were still dating. We went to a secluded spot in the woods where I use to do some fishing. The stars were out in full effect and we layed a blanket down on the ground on a sandy spot on the river bank and laid there just BSing and watching the stars. We both fell asleep and woke up about daylight. We were a bit cold, but had a great time and didn't plan on being there over an hour or two. Vern

I've been really sick and haven't been on here for a while. I just now saw this post. Vern, that was one of the best nights of my life. I think about it every once in a while. I think we're a little to old to fall asleep on the ground, maybe we can pull out the hammock in the summer. The simple things in life are always the best.

[tofish]

my worst and best i remember.
worst was first time camping with new friends on colorado river. what a mess of thoughts. he thought i was bringing stove, cook gear, food, ect. i thought he was. we got there, set up tents, got ready for dinner and discovered no stove, coffee pot, food, ect. ok. we went into town and bought a stove, alluminumpot, a 10" cast iron skillot, and eggs, ect. fast food did dinner. i spent the next morning almost 3 hrs in the heat, cooking on uncured skillet, bacon, tatoes, eggs, for 5 of us. coffee tastes awful in new alluminum pot that isn't cured.
best was about 4 yrs ago at Dorshack reservoir in idaho. my dad (who was about 82 then) and i took the boat up and ran up the lake about 50 miles. camped and had dinner. lightning and thunderstorm came right on top of us. since tent was under tree's , we didn't like that. we set up tarp over table and drank coffee and BS's all night. best night i've spent with my dad in over 20 yrs.
gary

[rudepossum]

Gary; If i didn't say it before. Welcome to the BOC bro.

[tofish]

thsnks David. i'm enjoying it here. lots of good info, people, ect.
gary

[JERMSQUIRM]

well ide have to say that mine was the shelbyville gathering catstock 4. i had a screen house that had somehow lost its instructions. there is about 40 pole sections. it took me all friday eve getting it up and it still wasnt right.,lol. but it did work.

p.s. i have a screen house for sale, $20.

[big-muddy]

hmmm it would have to be a cross between a tornado,( yeah, thats a good site to see when your out there at the lake, just hoping it doesn't turn your way) or fighting off a pack of coyotes that were tearing my cooler apart and would NOT give up on trying to carry off all my food as i swiped at em with a machete, giving a couple of 'em some scars to remember me by.