What is it about a camp site that holds a special feeling in our mind. A place to call home away from home, something simple, yet comfortable. A place that allows us to relax, unwind, and leave the every day hassles behind, whether it be for a weekend getaway, or a prolonged adventure of a hunt in distant and remote places.
I've spent plenty of time daydreaming of a cozy base camp in the western mountains, a warm fire, the smell of juniper, and coffee simmering on the coals.
Other times, I envision what would be the perfect camp at a 2-3 day trad shoot. A canvas tent, inviting, and comfy. The mixed smells of woodsmoke and a pot of venison stew in a cast iron pot, simmering over a bed of hickory coals.
A simple longbow, and quiver full of arrows hanging on a nearb branch, or from a tent pole.
The early morning sun reflecting from the canvas, and the snow. A narrow column of smoke rising from the flickeriing fire. The blue-grey smoke rising straight up, then spreads out harizontally in the frosty morning thermals, and hangs like a umbrella over the camp and surrounding woods.
A morning hunt for rabbits and squirrels, a quiver full of judo's, and a white cloud from every breath. The crack of the axe as it falls on a piece of frozen firewood,and the smell of hot coffee after the morning hunt.
The hoot of an owl at dusk, a turkey gobbling from a distance. A warm sleeping bag,a fleece shirt and the flickering glow from the vents in the woodstove.
An arrow broken, and an arrow lost.
The shadow of a simple bow, cast across the winter snow by the light of the moon, as it hangs ready for another day, another hunt.
The fun the kids have, exploring everything that is new,everything that just seems so simple and right.
I had gotten away from tenting, but it calls me back now stronger than ever. A good tent goes together with a good bow, good friends and family, and a warm fire. There is a certain sense of satisfaction in that.