Tag Archives: North Face

Base Camp – 5,290 fASL

I think I need a slightly bigger tent.

I bought the floor model of a North Face Stormbreaker 1 man tent at Cabela’s probably a year and a half ago and this is my first opportunity to use it. I wanted something small for my excursions that I planned on taking by myself since I know that camping is not my kids’ hobby.

Anyway, it’s squishy. It fits my air pad and sleeping bag perfectly but there is room for nothing else. So my bag stays outside.

I’m at the Kananaskis Trail overflow camping or something, I’m not exactly sure what the name of it is. I’m in the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and random camping wherever the fuck you feel like it is strictly verboten in Provincial Parks. They do patrol the day use trail heads that explicitly say ‘no camping’ so they’ll bust your ass if you even try.

I wanted to come out here to get away from people but, of course, it’s getting more and more densely populated as the evening progresses. And, of course, the pair of couples with a shitty toddler decide to bunk adjacent to where I’ve set up. If I wanted to listen to a miserable, whiny, over-tired kid… I’ve have saved myself a 4+ hour drive and just sat in a McDonalds Play Place for a few hours around naptime.

But whatever. There are a lot more bears out and about around here right now than there was last year when I was here and there is safety in numbers. The bears definitely don’t want to listen to some whiny fucking snot-nosed bitch kid either so they’re more likely to stay out of the area thus not looking at me as a giant pre-wrapped meat snack.

The tent is squishy but it’s not bad. The air pad keeps me comfortable and off of the cold, cold ground and my sleeping bag should keep me nice and toasty. Plus, I have a couple of wool blankets in a bag that I’m using as a pillow and will just throw over myself if it gets too cold tonight. I don’t think it will but you never know.

It’s not as comfy as my bed but I also don’t have mountains in my bedroom. The trade off is worth it.

Retail Therapy, Man-Style

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Looking back on it, yesterday was pretty hard for me… from a keeping sober perspective, anyway. 

Winter is on the decline and the sun was out, ushering in spring time… I was off work around noon and had all kinds of me time. I was euphoric and excited and stress-free, it was great! I wanted a drink though as this would have been a common way for me to celebrate a Friday afternoon of awesome freedom. And, ironically, this desire for a drink… be it a beer or a whiskey… was causing me stress on an otherwise stress-free day. 

Eventually, I’d get home and was kind of down in the dumps. For the past week and a bit, I have been supercharged for planning home renovations and organizing and cleaning up. Yesterday into the evening, I couldn’t put two and two together on anything like that. The kids were out for the evening and the wife was at work until the wee hours so it was all me at that point with my own thoughts. 

I was in Hell, gentlemen… let me assure you. 

I had almost given myself permission to go out for a drink at a nearby bar/pub and the time was coming up on 8:00 pm. I was conflicted about the thoughts and decided that sitting around thinking about it was not the way to go. I got my clothes on, jumped in my Jeep and drove my ass down to Cabela’s. 

  I have been gearing up for doing more family camping and to also start doing some backpacking trips this summer. I know that I need a few more specialized items for backpacking rather than just camping; one of those things being a tent of more appropriate size. The one I bought at the start of this whole gearing up process was done in a hurry and from an uneducated headspace. 

  Also, I started playing Airsoft with my 14 year old son last year. After getting a gift card at Cabela’s for Christmas, I went out and bought my own gun to play with. However, to be able to play with the piece I bought, I’m going to need a second clip for ammunition since reloading a clip during a match is a good way to get yourself shot.

  Finally, I have been trying to find ways to save money and trim up our finances at home. We have grown accustomed to a lifestyle of excess and waste… I am guilty as well. I decided to stop buying Starbucks coffee every morning and start making my own at home. However, I don’t have a reliable vessel to transport my morning wake-up juice in so I was on the market for an insulated Thermos. 

So I bought these three items while at Cabela’s. The tent was showing as discontinued in their system and the only one left in the store was the floor model… so I bought the floor model with a $20 discount off list price. 

After I left the store, my focus was on getting into nature and doing positive things rather than on drinking. As I drove out of the parking lot, I passed a liquor store… and just kept on driving, with a smile on my face I might add.