By time time you finish this post, you’re going to think I’m basically Bear Grylls.
Rough it for the weekend.
I grew up going camping and to the lake. By going camping, I mean in my grandparents 35-foot fifth wheel, and by going to the lake, I mean staying in our house at Lake Texoma. I always thought this was normal, so imagine my surprise when I found out that for most people, going camping means staying in a TENT. No actual bed (not even a pull-out couch). No shower. No kitchen. No air conditioning. I mean, I was better off in the rural villages of Costa Rica.
Anyway, it turns out my Bible study leaders at church love tent camping and go all the time! So a couple of us from our group decided to take a weekend and pitch our tents at Lake DeGray State Park outside Arkadelphia. So Donald and Malinda Sandlin, Meagan Whitworth, Nick Love and I packed my (mom’s) car and headed there. We were even able to celebrate Meagan’s 22nd birthday the weekend we were there.
Thank goodness the Sandlins were there! They might be the most prepared campers in the world. Everything you could ever need (and nothing extra) was packed into several big tubs, including my favorite one, “the pantry.” Once we got our tents set up (and yes, I pitched mine all by myself), we relaxed by the fire, played countless rounds of our favorite games and ate lots of s’mores (or just roasted marshmallows since I don’t like chocolate).
The verdict: it was a great weekend! It was nice to relax, unwind and be free from the constant noise of our world. If I had a choice between a tent and a camper next time, would I choose a tent? Probably not, but I guess it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Check out Tanner Grylls:
Go kayaking.
One of the things we did on our camping trip was kayak around the lake. I’ve canoed before — I even took a canoeing class in college — but this was my first time kayaking, and it was good to start out on the calm water at the lake. We went into a few bends and coves and did figure-8s around the buoys out in the middle of the water. It was a fun, relaxing way to spend some time on the lake. Now I think I’m ready for Class V rapids, right?
Climb an actual mountain.
Okay. I have to be honest with you. Because of the low inventory of “actual” mountains in Arkansas (ones that don’t have a walking trail straight to the top), and because of limited time, I made an exception and changed this one to: Hawk to Hawksbill Crag.
If you were a student in Arkansas in the 1990s and early 2000s, you remember going to the cool IMAX theater by the Little Rock Airport and watching the Arkansas commercial before every movie. (BTW: Let’s talk about getting that place opened back up. Another time.) Well, in that commercial, my favorite scene was always the people standing out on Hawksbill Crag overlooking the valley while the helicopter flew overhead and videoed them. I’ve looked all over the Internet for that commercial and can’t find it, but it looked something like this:
Anyway, I’ve always wanted to find that spot, and just recently figured out the name: Hawksbill Crag. It’s about three hours northwest of Little Rock, near Ponca and Jasper. I convinced Emily and Aly to wake up before the sun with me so we could get an early start. We were there by 11:00, and after about an hour’s hike, we had made it to the point. It was beautiful! Here are some of our pictures:
After the hike, we drove up to Jasper for lunch, and then drove to Branson for dinner, because why not? We got back pretty late and were all exhausted, but it was well worth the trip. I’m glad I finally figured out where that one place in the IMAX video is.
Would you believe I’m so outdoorsy? Stop back by tomorrow for another update!
Tanner Ward 