| | This past Saturday, I made a pilgrimage with my Chinese brothers to a secret camp spot to explore our Chinese-American identities.
In actuality, it was Chinaman Camp by default... nobody else could go!
We started up the mountain at about 3:30 in the afternoon. The trail was muddy in several areas, and the weather was on the humid side. Muff and Mushu were doing quite well, but I was suffering from the get-go. My ass and quads were burning after just 10 minutes. Going up this trail with a fully stuffed hiking backpack was quite different than going up on a casual hike. About half-way, Mushu took pity on me and lent me one of his walking sticks. That helped a lot! We also ran into a lady who told us someone was already up at the "campsite."
It took us about an hour to get to the site. Muff talked to the dude who was already there, but he was just hanging out with his Buddhism book, a journal, and a tarp to keep the wind off him. He left, and we started setting up. Muff, of course, set up a hammock, albeit a newer and more advanced one. Mushu set up a cool tent that he used during Burning Man... it rolled up into a very compact... roll, sort of the size of a compressed, small sleeping bag. His walking sticks doubled as support for this tent. It had a very cool "lanai" area. I had my tent from Rainy Man Camp, and it needed a decent airing out. It smelled pretty bad.
After setting up, relaxing, catching the sunset, and gathering firewood, Muff busted out the firestarter kit and set up Caveman Television for the night. We also started cooking. On the menu, all fire-grilled: Ciabatta with aged Brie and Salami, Portuguese Sausage on the Stick, BBQ Chicken Wings and Drummettes, Miso Soup, Campfire Vegetables (Mixed Peppers, Onions, and Garlic), Cajun Chicken, Cajun Tri-Tip Steak, Pita Bread, and... I think that's it. Oh, and Mushu made these humangous musubis that were the size of manapua. No joke!
Everything was laid back. We cooked slowly and conversed... slowly. I yet again pondered time travel, and Muff felt the earth move under his feet (actually, it was his back, since he was lying down). Mushu let the brie get the better of him and started playing tunes.
Later in the night, Muff's brother-in-law and his buddy came to join us. It was the first time I'd seen Beanie-Weenie cooked in the can. Pretty cool.
Morning came too soon, and we found ourselves coming back down the mountain. I packed too much, as my pack was still stuffed, even though it weighed a little less. It was just as painful coming down since the ground was muddy and my legs were already sore from the day before.
Reaching my car felt like salvation. Why? Because I was hungry, and it was time to get Shibby for breakfast/lunch! She took me to Wailana Coffee Shop, where I devoured the Breakfast Special with gusto (pancakes, eggs, and bacon for $5.75... all you can eat pancakes if you're that famished). The food and coffee brought me back to life. Apparently, I had been a big grouch on the ride over, and Shibby said I was a different person afterwards.
I spent the rest of day nodding off into short naps. I had put on Helvitica with Netflix's video-on-demand feature, but I couldn't stay awake to watch it.
There's nothing like Man Camp. However, I think I could deal with posh camp the next time. I'm ready for some pampered conditions when sleeping out under the stars.
And what did we learn at Chinaman Camp? One thing: we all had sore left knees on the way down the mountain. Coincidence? I think not.
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| | Posted 1/8/2008 11:08 PM - 96 Views - 8 eProps - 4 comments
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