Is There Such a Thing as Camping Too Early?

The trees (sadly) are just starting to bud out here. Spring is finally on its way. Driving down the tree lined street with all the teeniest little buds poking their way out of the branches, making their first appearance of the year. I was taken back to a memory when a girlfriend and I couldn't wait to go camping. I think it was May 1st and we decided it would be in our best interest to go camping. Little did our significant others know about this until they came home to a packed vehicle ready to tackle the wilderness.

We packed everything, wood, stoves, sweaters, shoes, alcohol, cards, games, sleeping bags, Jell-O shooters...you get the drift. After an hour of driving we arrived at our campsite, we set up our tents, BBQ, stoves, food storage etc, we were ready. We decided we were going to have a look see at the rest of the die-hard campers and see what new camping friends we could make. To our dismay we were it, except for the veteran campers who happened to be in a trailer. (Little did we know how smart they were.)

After some frivolity, Jell-O shots, food and more Jell-O shots, night fell and we soon realized that it was damn cold. Even with all the liquor we'd ingested we were still freezing. Despite our layer after layer of clothing and burning of about 7 bags of wood we were still a little cold. We collectively (in our drunken stupor) decided that we would drink more alcohol, stoke the fire and sleep in the back of our SUV's. 

Even the best laid plans get ruined because by the time it was bed time we were too drunk to care and we were all bundled up pretty good. I believe that was the first and only time I slept with a toque on. We decided that 4 bodies in a 4 person tent was better than 2 in an SUV...Hmmm???? After the debacle of all 4 of us crawling into the tent, laughing, more laughing, pee breaks and then finally sleeping, we awoke to dare I say it...SNOW!!!

Despite our best efforts we could not beat Mother Nature. We packed up our gear and went to the nearest hotel...with a hot tub and enjoyed the rest of our first weekend of the year camping. My one piece of advice...NEVER go camping in Alberta before the May long weekend, unless you know of a good hotel with a hot tub.