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Tent Attack

Perhaps one of the most revered aspects of working for the Backroad Mapbooks is the chance to do research.  I often get to just explore.  Not only is this enjoyable as I get to see some of the amazing natural wonders of BC but I get the added bonus of being able to write the trips off against the taxman.

Although very tempting, I rarely simply pick up and leave.  Instead, I plan the trips around legitimate research trips or in association with a sales trip.  I also prefer to travel alone.  This way I can go where I want, when I want.

Regardless of the destination or the activity, these research trips can be surprisingly hard work.  The days are long and driving miles of roads, especially logging roads, can get to you.  This is where my brother and I coined the phrase Road Rider Blues. 

At the end of each day, I usually try to pick a quiet, out of the way place to camp.  Sometimes they are quite close to civilization, other times, I pick an extremely remote location.

On this particular occasion, I picked a remote area east of Kootenay National Park as my final destination for the day.  I wanted to end a busy day of sales, with a mountain bike ride before setting up camp.

It indeed ended up being a tiring but rewarding day.  The bike ride was certainly one of the most enjoyable rides I have every done.  I had heard a lot about the Natural Bridge Cross-country Ski Trails and I wanted to explore them with my bike.  They did not disappoint.  The trail system combined old roads with canyon side trails that provided some awe-inspiring views.  Even Buddy, my dog, stopped to take it all in.

So after a fairly grueling ride, Buddy and I made it back to the truck and started to look for a place to camp.  With the handy Backroad Mapbook for the Kootenays in hand, I was able to pick and choose among a few different options. 

I finally settled on the Horseshoe Rapids Recreation Site.  It was a lovely, riverside site that offered the perfect, secluded place to get away from it all.  There wasn’t a sole in site and the rumbling river made for a soothing background.  I find it amazing how such a noise makes for a perfect night sleep.

I set up the tent on the flat area next to the picnic table and started to prepare a typical camping meal.  I always bring something easy to prepare and noodles and sauce seem to fit the bill.  They are also filling enough to satisfy the voracious appetite I can work up when outdoors.  After dinner, I cleaned up and got ready for bed. 

After brushing the teeth and washing my face in the frigid river, I put everything away.  I didn’t want any uninvited guests so I put the food in the truck.  I also threw the towel into the cab of the truck so the early morning sun would dry it off. 

Another funny thing I do when camping is bring a knife and/or hatchet into the tent with me.  It can get a bit creepy out in the woods at night.  Even though I have Buddy, I feel more comfortable with a backup plan. 

It was a beautiful June evening and it was still light out when I went to bed.  I decided to read a bit and because Buddy was still wet from the river, I left him outside the tent.  Exhaustion set in quickly and the reading did not last.  I rolled over and started to drift off to sleep.

All of a sudden, I heard a clunk and Buddy barked.  Next thing I know, the tent has collapsed over me and it felt like someone has jumped on me.  I started to flail frantically as the tent is completely wrapped around my body.  I can be somewhat closterphobic so I was really panicking.

After a few moments, I get a hold of myself and I tried to fight my way out of my predicament.  I don’t know what compelled me to feel what was on top of me but I did.  Only inches from my face, I felt the familiar round, yet rough shape of my spare tire. 

It seems that when I threw my towel into the cab of the truck, I must have partially knocked the truck out of gear.  Although the e brake was on, it didn’t do much when the evening breeze came along and completed the job of putting the truck into neutral.  Although it did not look like it, the campsite was slanted and the truck rolled backwards over my tent.  How luck I was that the wheels perfectly straddled me and the clearance was high enough that the truck rolled over me.  Even more amazing is the fact that it stopped directly on top of me.

With the tent still wrapped around my face, I was really getting frantic.  I finally ripped the tent and rolled out from under my truck. 

I called for Buddy but he was gone.  Now there is a good guard dog.  I could only imagine what he was thinking, “Oh, oh.  Master is dead! I am out of here.”

I looked for him for a few hours until it was pitch black outside.  By then the adrenaline had settled down and after a stiff drink, I settled back into my dilapidated tent. 

It must have been quite a site to look at.  Here I am lying in a tent with a huge rip in it and broken poles.  The truck was parked well away from this ramshackle of a home.  The tent somehow managed to stand and Buddy returned sheepishly sometime in the morning. 

For more information checkout our Kootenay Rockies BC or TOPO Maps KRBC 29.