Skookum camping

We haven't camped at Skookum Lake in over 20 years. Back then camping was about kids and fishing.  I always had to have a fishing component whenever we camped. This time Sarah and I headed out for a quick overnighter with no agenda other than we want to get our car camping "dialed in" again. We're going to do more of the Trail Maniacs camping and trail running series and do some other camping this summer.

We had Skookum all to ourselves. The camp host wasn't even around until late at night. We didn't bring much water because Skookum has a potable source. Lesson number one - always bring water or a way to filter water. The hand pump in the campground yielded only a brown milky liquid. Asking the host about it in the morning (under the guise of asking him for some water) he told us that the water had been certified as "safe." He said that water was all he ever drank. Frankly, he didn't look all that healthy. So we pulled up camp quickly and went to Old Town for breakfast. 

The afternoon we arrived and into the evening we had a great time until we ran out of water and even then it was fun. We were prepared for rain, but the rain really was intermittent and stopped by nightfall. It was cold, but it warmed up in the tent and I don't think I ever slept better. Sarah had the idea of using Costco sleeping mats for our bed and what a great idea that was. Unlike air mattresses they really insulated us from the cold ground and were super comfortable. They did take up a lot of room to transport but it was totally worth it. 

And I had the best of luck with Jiffy Pop. Something that has eluded me for forty years.