We arrived at our campsite with plenty of time before sunset. I was excited
because it was to be our first real glimpse of the Rock. The group of us dutifully
went up a path to a designated viewing area, and saw it in a distant
haze.

It looked good, but this was clearly not the best angle. The real action,
photo-op wise, was happening with the ranges behind us, so I took a few shots,
including:

Soon enough it was getting dark. The sun didn’t really cast any intriguing
shadows on the Rock, as it was mostly obstructed by the ranges behind us.

So we all returned to the camp and feasted on sausages, steaks, and a
wide assortment of other things that could be grilled.

Following our meal, Keith gave us a little rundown on the "swags." These were
a sort of squared-off quasi-mattress meant to envelop your sleeping bag and
provide some additional cushioning. They’re also meant to help you
keep warm, which works best if you sleep out on the ground, Keith said. Oh,
and naked.

Yeah, some deal about your clothing keeping sweat close in, but the sleeping bag/swag wicking it away, or some such nonsense. All I know is I opted to sleep in the swag under the moon and stars — but with some clothes on.

Naturally, I selected a place near the fire:

(My swag is there on the right, between the two benches. I never actually
went in any of the tents. I like this photo because it’s actually a 20sec long
exposure using only the fire as a light source.)

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 11th, 2003 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Travel.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.