Paolo vs. Wild

Amanda and I are taking off for the Cascades tonight to go camping. Per Scott's recommendation, we're heading to Dewey Lakes, which is just around the corner from Crystal Mountain (surprise, surprise) in Mt. Rainier National Park. You can read Scott's review of the hike here.

We've been looking for an opportunity to go camping, so Amanda and I both took Friday off from work and spent most of yesterday evening packing. However, we're going for different reasons...

Amanda wants to hike in, pitch a tent, sleep on the ground, cook over a portable burner and use nature's infinite restroom for recreation.

I'm going to prove that I can camp. I've never been camping before. My most recent hike was a hike from hell. I've slept in tents for concerts at The Gorge, but that's as far as my camping resume goes.

Some might say, "Paolo, you've gone backpacking before so you're used to living off the bare essentials in relative discomfort and inconviences. What gives?" Running water and civilization, I argue. All jokes aside, I expect the weather to be splendid and I might just enjoy the adventure.

Assuming I don't pull a Christopher McCandless and eat the wrong berries, we should be back by Saturday. Wish me luck in the Great Outdoors.