In Tents Discomfort

I've been at camp for a week - and most of this week I've been without the comforts of technology - no TV, radio and no Internet. It has been a combination of sweet and peaceful bliss and downright creepy eeriness. I've gone from feeling completely overwhelmed, uncomfortable, homesick to confident, happy and faith filled over the span of 5 days - I know there is still much to learn, but at least the "holy cow what have I gotten myself into?" feelings have subsided considerably. I won't bore you with any details, but I have definitely enjoyed this shift in pace and locale. I must admit my wimpiness though - the Minnesota climate is quite cooler, and I am not used to it yet - nor really want to be used to it. Although, I will conquer this challenge too - we'll see how I handle the Northern Minnesota wilderness next week. And here I scoffed at my wife's idea to bring my long underwear. Stupid me - oh well, I've learned...

Life is good despite missing my wife incredibly. Nights are really lonely - even though I get a phone call in to Rebecca every night, it's what I go through after hanging up that has been the biggest adjustment. For instance, being alone in a cabin in the woods with an active imagination - well, it becomes very burdensome. I hear everything - every creek, every shift - every tiny little bump in the night. The ear plugs have been handy, as well as the fan. Last night though, there was little relief. I hope this was the worst sleepless night of the summer...I awoke in the middle of the night to sweltering heat around me. I had tweaked the thermostat before bed (mistake #1) so that I wouldn't be as cold in the morning. Then on my way from the light switch into bed I drilled my foot on the metal corner of the bed? Yeah, it was quite the painful omen to my night ahead...At 3 am I woke up and looked at my handy alarm clock that had a built in thermometer - and it said that my room was 89 degrees. I got up and tried to turn the heat off - and I think I realized it was broken. I tried turning the fan on high and opening the windows. The heater was still cranking out the heat. Hot, sweaty, restless and my foot hurt something awful...

By the wee hours of the morning, I had moved to the other room. I didn't get much sleep to say the least. But, everyday is a new day. I look forward to some restful sleep this evening. I managed to shut the main power to the heaters off this afternoon - and my room is now back to a much more comfortable 70 degrees.

Well, it is back to camp. I apologize for not writing sooner - see top paragraph about the lack of internet. It's good to be here - I look forward to sharing the many stories that await me... stay tuned!