Camping in the Rain Under a Tarp Alone

We are expected to receive a lot of rain over the next 24 hours. I think the forecast said about two inches. I've just arrived at the spot where I want to set up my camp. So I'm going to put up my tarp, gather some firewood, and get the fire going. And then I'm going to get comfortable before this storm arrives. I'm, no quite Happy with the pitch I wasn't able to get it steep enough. by securing the four corners to these trees And I don't want to raise the ridge line So I'm going to make some stakes. so that I can mark these corners precisely where I want them Alright, that's much better. I lowered the sides a bit. that way the wind won't blow the rain in while I'm sleeping tonight, And it's just in time too, because it just started raining. I'm going to put on my rain gear and then I'm going to grab some firewood before everything gets too wet. I've got a bunch of dry kindling, and I have some extra as well. so that I can start my fire in the morning. Now I just need a few more logs so I can have some fuel for the fire. I'm feeling pretty sluggish. and I'm moving really slowly, so I'm going to have a quick snack and I'm hoping That will give me a little bit of energy. And then I'll get the fire going. All right, I'm going to start my fire using my favorite method, which includes fatwood and a ferro rod. Fatwood is simply wood soaked in pine resin. And you can take the ferro rod and spark it to start a fire. The storm should be moving through here soon. I'm going to let the fire die down a little bit. so I can get some charcoal to cook with. In the meantime, I'm going to get some firewood prepped. so that I can save some for tomorrow morning. I've been asked a few times why I chop wood like this. This on the ground, on my knees. And the answer is because it's the safest method. When you're using a shorter axe like this. I think most people are used to seeing people stand up. with a chopping block and they'll stand swinging. The problem is with this smaller axe; if I miss, there's a high the likelihood of it hitting me in the leg is just too dangerous. So, when you're on the ground and you have this bottom log with your split log on top, If I miss, hopefully it goes into this bottom log. and if it doesn't, then it just goes into the on the ground, but at least it doesn't go into my leg it's really easy to chop wood like this and most Some of these logs have a natural split in them. which I will aim up and aim for with my axe head, and it makes it really easy to split These logs are half enough; this is plenty. wood for my fire in the morning And it's underneath my tarp, so it should stay nice. and dry if it rains, it's a big if at this moment I was promised rain, but it wouldn't come. It's the first time the weatherman has let me down. I haven't cooked pasta while camping yet. But I'm really excited about this one. I've been channeling my inner Italian. Goodbye. Goodbye. Good morning. Good morning. Some fresh garlic. Just letting The garlic cook for about a minute And now I'm going to add some crushed tomatoes. This is just a mixture of herbs, like basil, oregano, salt, and garlic. Pasta going in. I'm also going to make some bread. I mixed this up at home. You got baking powder, flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and a few other herbs. I'm just going to add a little bit of water. Alright, everything's finally done. I'm going to add the pasta in there. First, a little bit of pasta water. Now the pasta. I need this. Some salt. And last, some parmesan. Good morning. Goodbye. This might be one of the nicest meals I've ever made out here. That's really good. Good morning. Alright, let's try this bread. I skipped lunch today, so I didn't have any energy going into this. That was good. That was really good. I'm so full now. I'm still waiting for it to rain. It briefly sprinkled a moment ago. But I've boiled a fresh pot of drinking water. Got my pan all cleaned up. I'm going to set up my bed now. It's about 945. And Here's that rain I have been waiting for Finally here, if the forecast is right, which so far it hasn't been, It's going to rain like this all night, maybe even more. and all the way into the morning and throughout the day tomorrow, So we're in for a wet morning. There's a gentle breeze blowing through the mist toward the back. of my shelter where my feet are going to be, so I took the tarp that I I was going to sleep on it, and I hung it up back there to make another wall. The last thing I want is for my feet to get wet and cold tonight. Alright, it's probably going to rain like this all night. and in the morning I wish it had arrived a little earlier, though. It's time for bed right now. It's almost 11. See you guys in the Good morning. Good morning. I slept very well. It never actually rained as much as I thought it would. I was thinking it would it has been raining continuously for more than 12 hours, but It's just been off and on this whole time. I'm going to get up and start the fire so I can cook breakfast. Grrr! Perfect weather for some blueberry pancakes Pancake number two It got a little charred The sun is beginning to peek through the clouds a little. Kind of a bummer, I came into this thinking I was going to get a lot of rain, And I know you love watching me struggle and suffer in the heavy rain, but it's also kind of a good thing, too, because I have a one- to one-and-a-half-hour hike back to my truck, And I'm going to get drenched. But I went into this knowing that that was probably going to happen, so if the rain holds off while I'm hiking out of here, That would actually be pretty nice. Blueberry pancakes, breakfast of champions. Having a cold cup of coffee. I'm taking out all my trash, and you Should too whenever you go camping. I even have the can here. Some people like to burn their cans in the fire pit. I personally just like to pack it out. It's lighter than when I brought it in. I want to keep this place, and wherever I go, As clean as I possibly can. Just in case. I'm sorry if you were expecting more rain than that. I was certainly thinking we'd get more. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time, and the food was delicious. I'm going to start making my way back to my truck. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.