Between extracurriculars and weekend homework, it’s often hard to commit to an activity lasting more than a few hours. However, we learned that making time for memorable experiences, like camping with your best friend, is achievable, with the right preparation.
Knowing she would have homework piled up for the weekend, and an avid anti-camper, Madhura was skeptical when her mom announced that we had plans to go camping at Mount Diablo, a state park in Walnut Creek. Her insectophobia was soothed when she heard that the bugs would be gone by fall and there would be plenty of food to distract her from any pests that may appear.
Both of us had different approaches to managing our workloads. Tanvee, armed with her ipad, computer and backpack prepped offline documents, hoping to accomplish some work throughout the trip. Madhura, knowing she would not successfully focus, did all her homework ahead of time, ready to kick back and relax.
So, piled into one car, the two of us along with our parents — except Madhura’s dad — embarked on the 2-hour drive to the summit of Mt. Diablo. Much to Tanvee’s disappointment, we chose to live by not letting her drive us up the mountain.
On the ride up, Madhura quickly fell into a deep slumber. Tanvee, on the other hand, spent the entire drive waiting for the inspiration to write her English essay to strike. It never did.
Once we reached the summit, our parents rushed to take pictures of the lovely view, while we were very eagerly appreciating the lovely ice cream sandwich we bought at the visitor’s center. Slowly, but surely, thoughts of school and stress started to disappear.
The stunning view of the valley was an excellent kickoff to our trip.
After taking in the sights, we proceeded to the campsite, which was very conveniently located near the restrooms. Equipped with a campfire pit, ample tent space and a storage locker, we had no trouble finding a place for the overloaded bags of food and blankets we packed.
Splitting into two groups, Tanvee and her mom set up the campfire and made tea, while the rest set up tents. The two of us shared a snug, two-person tent while our parents enjoyed a spacious, four-person tent.
After all of our belongings were settled, it was time for the event Madhura had been looking forward to the most: dinner. Dinner consisted of steaming pav bhaji (vegetable curry served with soft, buttered, bread rolls) and masala Maggi (the Indian, and arguably the best, version of instant noodles). By far, the highlight of our trip was sitting around the campfire, chatting and enjoying comfort food.
Of course, no camping trip is complete without s’mores. Armed with mini marshmallows, Tanvee set out to make a gargantuan s’more, fitting as many of the bite-sized pillows as possible onto her skewer. Meanwhile, Madhura was too impatient to put together a s’more, and instead warmed the marshmallows and dumped them into her hot chocolate.
Roasting marshmallows together over a fire is the true mark of any camping trip.
After sunset, we changed into our pajamas and retired to our tent. Unfortunately, it was time to work. Madhura spent the next hour helping Tanvee with her journalism assignment, the complex workings of Adobe InDesign, after which we cracked open a packet of Takis and some homemade cookies to discuss the uneventfulness of our lives and complain about school.
At around 10 p.m., we found ourselves engaged in another form of entertainment — trying to guess which of the three different snoring patterns we heard came from which parental figure. We concluded that Tanvee’s dad fell asleep first, followed by her mom and, finally, Madhura’s mom.
The next person to fall asleep was Madhura — much to Tanvee’s dismay. Not long after, we were woken by the howls of a pack of coyotes who had presumably discovered dinner, although our initial, half-asleep assumption was that one of our parents had reached the peak of their REM cycle.
The next morning, we got ready to depart, packing everything away and eating a delicious breakfast consisting of coffee and live, fireside pancakes paired with fresh fruit and coffee cake.
For Madhura’s mother, the trip was also enlightening — she realized Madhura could be roped into anything as long as Tanvee was there — including an activity Madhura has long avoided due to her distaste for cold weather — skiing.
For us, the trip was memorable and thoroughly fulfilling. Spending quality time with our families, present from the moment, away from the distractions of screen and school was something that both of us needed. All in all, camping during the school year is worth the extra effort, and not quite as stressful as it seems.
