don't fart in your sleeping bag

Good morning! It was a decent night, all in all, fueled by a sense of smug self-satisfaction from having figured the new tent out. My toiletry bag served as my pillow, and I was fine with that through the quiet, nearly windless night.

The tent's design represents an interesting solution to the classic condensation problem of the old pup tents. I'm not sure how clear this is in the interior shots I just posted, but the fly basically serves as both fly and tent: the interior layer, what I'm tempted to call "the tent itself," is little more than a standard tent floor topped by mosquito netting. In other words, you have to set up both the tent and the fly; the two parts are integral. The mosquito netting prevents condensation, and the fly, because it doesn't touch the ground, maintains breathability and circulation. Very clever, indeed.

It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic, though: when they call this a one-man tent, they mean it. The experience of sleeping in the tent reminds me of nothing so much as the night I spent inside a kapsuro (capsule hotel) in downtown Fukuoka-- the highlight of my one evening in Japan.

So now it's time to strike camp. I was lucky to catch two camp staffers who were on their way out last night; the camp's main office wasn't open, and I had wondered how I was supposed to register for the evening. They told me there was a self-registration procedure I could simply do in the morning, and because I had no car, I could set up camp in the so-called "hiker/biker section," whose entrance would be marked with a "do not enter" sign-- perfect for an introvert. Sure enough, I was all alone in the HB section, which isn't even shown on the map; all the group tents and RVs were elsewhere. Ha!

I'm fortunate, too, because I arrived on a Thursday night, which meant fewer people. As summer progresses, I imagine this sort of quasi-solitude will become less likely.

Today promises to be sunny and in the 80s. Shit. Definitely not looking forward to this, and can't even imagine what it's like in southern California and Arizona.

Oy. Gotta pack. And put on sunscreen.


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