What a brilliant idea this was! So, it’s been a little while since Rendezvous in the Ozarks and we were all itching to camp and ride trails again. So a couple of friends and I decided to do just that last weekend. You know, when the weather dropped to 18 degrees at night. Yeah…

Things started off with Jackson breaking down near Ft. Smith, so I cut out some of my planned kit and when to pick him up. We loaded up my Jeep TJ and headed toward Mulberry Mountain. The idea was to ride some trails and get a lay of the land for this years RITO trip.

We arrived and started to setup camp. There was so much wind that what was normally a one person job quickly turned into us needing to help each other just setup our tents and rainfly. The temp was falling pretty sharply as the sun went down, but tents were made, so it was time to start on the fire.

One free tip I’ll give you for making camp fires is to bring along some insta-light charcoal! It’s a great way to start a fire and you can easily stoke it up and get straight to the bigger logs you gather or bring. With a fire going we were pretty content as we bundled up. The wind was constant, so we weren’t going anywhere away from it! Still we always need to be careful with fires and wind gusts. Some time around 8, Archie showed up and that’s when the fun started. That man can pack more firewood into a Jeep TJ than you could ever believe!

With a great bed of coals it was comfortable around the camp fire. Now, when you step away from the camp fire you knew it was cold! So now it was time to cook dinner. This is one of my favorite parts about camping and I’m not the type who eats better at camp than at home. I eat about the same, but I simplify things so it’s easier to manage. Case in point was steak and potatoes night!

When we finally crashed the sleeping bag took a little while to warm up. The wool socks were flat out amazing and something that I’m really glad I had. The wind died down a little so it was really just cold, but my base layers and 0 degree bag kept me warm. Turned out rain and sleet popped up in the forecast, so we decided to cut the trip short by a day. The weather combined with Archie’s alternator going out made that decision pretty easy. Still, it was a wonderful adventure with a great group of friends!