The Great Campground Disaster

20 July 2026

1190

R. Linda:

O'Hare wanted to go camping, but no one else did. He was disappointed, and Tonya's suggestion that he set up a tent in the backyard didn't go over very well. I felt bad and told him I'd go. I asked if there were any takers for the great outdoors because this was the last call. Nope, none. 

Well, one problem was the Canadian smoke. It was not the kind of air to breathe, but it wasn't as bad as it was south of us. We decided to wear those funny-looking respirator masks and go anyway. 

So this morning, with the orange colored landscape (from the smoke), we set off. We had got all we needed the night before, so we were feeling kind of good. Sunday, the weather was supposed to be normal, no smoke, so we could hike, maybe and enjoy each other's company. 

We arrived up north, and the air was better; we didn't need the masks, so that helped a lot. We set up camp at a campground deep in the woods. There were maybe two other tents that I could see, so we were all set. We roasted hot dogs over an open fire, cleaned out our pan in the river and then noticed the sky was getting dark. A storm was coming in from the west, so, feeling full from lunch, we decided we'd take a nap, and by that time the storm would have passed. Since it would be late in the day, we'd catch the last bit of daylight by the river fishing.

The storm came, the wind was way up, the rain started to pound down and let me tell you, a tent isn't the place to be when it rains. We were getting wet from water running in through gaps under the tent. We laughed about it, and were still having a good time. We decided to sit on one side where there wasn't any wet and try to have a "siesta." 

It's not easy to sleep in a sitting position with your legs almost to your chin, but we gave it a shot. I don't think either of us would have fallen asleep, but we didn't get that chance because suddenly a gust of wind came that collapsed the tent with us in it, of course! I can tell ya that wasn't fun. There was no laughter because we were wrapped in moving fabric that was blowing in the direction the wind wanted us to go, which was the river!

We made a good go of trying to disentangle ourselves, with O'Hare managing, and as he rolled out, the wind blew another good gust, and the fabric that had held O'Hare found me, and I was wrapped double in a tent. That wasn't bad enough, I was still on me way to the river!

"I've got ya Da!" O'Hare was yelling, holding on to an edge of the tent flap and pulling for all he was worth to keep me and the tent from becoming a floating mess downstream. 

Just in the nick of time, the wind died down, and I was being dragged through the mud, still wrapped in the tent over rocks and sticks, until I was up away from the river edge. I tell ya, you haven't lived until you wrap yourself in a tent and go for a near swim, and then be dragged through mud and sticks!

Once we got me untangled, we reset the muddy tent. We tried reinforcing it with sticks, for all the good it would do. We also moved it way back from the riverbank. By dinner, we were all situated again and hoping that it was a freak affair and the rest of our stay would be non-eventful.

To think I was dressed in that

I had brought a couple of t-bone steaks for us to grill, and we were all about those steaks, let me tell you. They smelled delicious as they cooked, and we were primed. Until there was this roar from behind us. We both stood up and looked around.

"OH GOD, OH GOD!" O'Hare was saying as he grabbed me arm and pulled me towards the car. I was glad he had the presence of mind not to go into the flimsy tent BECAUSE we had an uninvited dinner guest, a bear, a huge black bear. He stood over 8 feet tall, sniffing the air and walking on his hind legs towards the almost done steaks. Well, there went the dinner we were salivating over. Including the pan, I had put the French fries in to go with it. We watched from the car windows as our dinner disappeared into the forest. 

There goes dinner

"I have no words." O'Hare said, "None."

Dinnerless, we decided to call it a day and try to get some sleep. All night long, strange noises kept us alert and awake. 

"You think one of those roars is Bigfoot?"

"Stop it, just stop it," O'Hare said, not appreciating me attempt at humour.

By morning, I found meself by meself. Where the heck was O'Hare? I got up, went out and looked around; there was no sign of the lad. I looked in the car, but he wasn't there. I eventually found him sleeping in somebody's camper. His excuse was that I freaked him out with the Bigfoot talk, and he decided the tent wasn't safe, so he was on his way to the car when he heard something growling nearby, and he ran and found these people pulling in late, who he told what was going on, and they invited him in. That's all fine and good, but he left his old man in a tent, by himself, unaware of what was going on outside that tent! I tell ya.

That did it for me. No more camping with O'Hare, I be done. Of course, all the way home, I talked Bigfoot up really big. Told all manner of lying stories to the lad about what has not been reported that no one talks about. Had him going, I did. I still haven't told him that none of it is true. Just gonna keep that going for a little while longer. 

Gabe

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