Fri, Apr 29 2005, Sat, Apr 30 2005, Sun, May 1 2005 - Badlands Hiking, Cycling, Camping (View Original Event Details)
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We went from over 50 people to 8 people and 2 dogs this weekend and we send a collective 'Nyaah, Nyaah' to all of you that wussed out :) Actually Toby came up with an elaborate scheme to shame, disgust and humiliate all of you that dropped out, but it's too complicated and just inappropriate to share on this website....
I was the first person to show up on Friday evening and was lucky enough to make the drive into the park while there was still light out. You drive and drive and drive until you think you have missed the turn but suddenly the ground just drops away and you see the badlands stretch out in front of you for miles and miles. It's an amazing sight. Then you drive straight down into the canyon, and I heard this was quite scary for those campers arriving in the dark.
The 42 drop outs were not the only wusses that weekend as the campsite was as good as empty and we had a corner all to ourselves. We had plenty of wood, to keep us warm, tons of food and some great conversation. Everyone brought enough clothes and blankets to keep us warm all night long, even though the wind was blowing hard all night. I'm not even talking about Toby, either.
The next day we awoke to a light dusting of snow, but we all agreed that we'd prefer a bit of snow over rain any day. Ralph decided to take a hike up one of the peaks and then disappeared. We cleaned up from breakfast and sat in front of the fire for a bit, but he didn't return. So, thinking he was probably dead, or close to it, we did what any seasoned outdoor group would do in this situation - we headed into Brooks for Tim Horton's coffee
Upon returning to the campsite we noticed Ralph had survived his solo hike, and was just probably searching for people to mooch some camping supplies. Karen, Toby and Chrystal went off to do some bike touring, while Karin, Mitko, Ralph, Sibel, myself and Rocky and Tacoma went to do some hiking and looking for dinosaur bones. Tacoma proved to be very good at finding bones, but they were quite fresh so didn't not qualify as bones. She was quite proud of her find, though.
The landscape of Dinosaur Park is awesome, with emphasis on AWE. If you haven't been to the badlands yet, this is a high point. The drive in is spectacular. There are actual cacti growing everywhere and the deer are so tame they came within a few feet of our camp. They didn't even spook at Tacoma, who told them exactly what she thought of them.
We had a wonderful potluck dinner and everyone had more than they could physically handle. The wind died down and the weather warmed up overnight, but the fire was kept going all night. We played some great campfire games (none of which can be repeated here), we had some great laughs, the dogs had some great fun.
All in all, it was a great weekend and I'm glad I got the chance to enjoy it. Those of you who dropped out missed out on a wonderful opportunity... remember that it's all in your attitude - we were determined to have a good time so the cold did not affect us
This was my first camping trip and I had a good time. I ate a lot of things I wasn't supposed to eat, but no one else could finish their dinner so I got to eat it. I didn't like the fire much, but the tent wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Tacoma and I played lots of chasing games, and Tacoma found some animal bones and that was really exciting! We did some hiking too. I brought my coat so I was not cold at night. I'm very tired now, but I can't wait to go camping again!
- Rocky
I think Stephanie said it well. The weekend was great! It started out with the drive in to the canyon which was spectacular and a night of stories, jokes, and good times around the fire. The hike the next day was short, but well worth it. I am still in shock I forgot my gators! Now, we have ice cleats and crampons to walk on ice, but what about mud? Are there any inventions made yet? Even with the last minute drop outs for the event, we had tons of food!! It was unbelievable. The 2nd night was much warmer, and the games lasted longer then we thought. All in all, a great weekend.