Camping in the rain and learning how to start a fire

I had booked a site at Little Elbow Campground for this past weekend and was ready for adventure! Despite being hospitalized last Wednesday I  was determined to head out, set up the Westfalia and rough it for the weekend.  I did make the smart decision to not go scuba diving though.  I figured if I ran into issues they would be easier to deal with if I was above the water and not wearing 100lbs of scuba gear.

I arrived at the campsite shortly after 7:00pm unpacked the bag of fire wood, set up a couple of chairs and popped the top.  Remember I said in one of my earlier blogs that I hadn’t been camping since I was about 8 years old…  This was clearly evident this weekend. 

Problem # 1 the fire.  I had ample supply of newspaper and kindling but for some reason I couldn’t get that roaring fire that would project heat and light.  As a result I ended up sitting very close to the fire pit and struggled to keep my eyes from tearing as no matter where I sat the smoke seemed to follow me.  I felt and smelled like a turkey that had spent the weekend in a smoker.  Oh, and I learned too that to cook over an open fire you should wait for the coals and not over the flame (and smoke).  The chicken didn’t turn out that badly, but the veggies that were cooked…yikes.  They tasted like they had been pulled from a burning building.  Not good.  I guess that’s why we have camp stoves and bbqs right?

Lesson #1  Campfires are for heat, light and hanging around NOT for cooking on.   Oh, and that jerry can of gas that I keep in the Westy (just in case), comes in handy for starting fires.

Problem #2 it gets cold at night.  Now you would think that a sleeping bag rated to zero degrees being used indoors would be sufficient.  Not so.  Damn it gets cold in the mountains.  I think I must have woken up about a dozen times as a struggled to stay in my little bag and stay warm .

Lesson #2, When it comes to warmth while sleeping in a Westy at night you have options.  Bring some extra blankets to stay warm with or bring a friend that you can cuddle with (sadly, my girlfriend was out in Canmore that night and I didn’t have those extra blankets)

So I put it to you my faithful readers (if there are any), is there a checklist that you use when going camping?  A list of essentials?  Help a Noob with your camping supply list!