_edited_e.png)
A Celebration and a Realization: Sleeping Under the Stars Again
This past Monday was Bill's birthday. This year, his one request was simple: to spend the night sleeping under the stars.
To anyone watching us from the outside, that might seem like an odd ask. We live in our teardrop trailer and have been serving as campground hosts in fairly primitive campgrounds for the last eight months. But the truth is, we hadn't actually slept under the stars since last August at Lake Ossipee—where we spent six straight nights hanging in our hammocks along the lake. Since then, we’ve been sleeping tucked inside our trailer or in guest rooms when visiting family.
Up until I was injured during our Appalachian Trail thru-hike attempt last year, an overnight hammock trip would have been an automatic "Yes!" But I hadn't even tried putting on my full backpacking pack since the injury, let alone carrying it on a trail. We agreed to test the waters with a short 1.5-mile hike into the national forest right from our campground.
To my relief, the pack felt good. My shoulders and lower neck let me know they need some targeted stretching and strengthening, but overall, it was a solid start.
Setting Up Camp: Shelters, Bears, and Flint & Steel
We found a cool campsite tucked among the trees with a large opening in the canopy left by a few fallen trunks. The sun was streaming through, lighting up a small established fire ring and plenty of perfect trees for hanging our hammocks.
First order of business: the bear bag. We found a strong branch at just the right height, and the birthday boy nailed the rope throw on his second try!
We also wanted to try two new things on this trip:
Building a custom shelter using my hammock rain fly, hiking poles, and guy lines to create a simple A-frame tent.
Starting our fire with flint and steel.
Pro Tip for Flint & Steel: Once your tinder catches, it is Go Time! Make sure your fire starter and graded wood layers are fully prepped before you strike a single spark.
We used dryer lint as our starter, angling the flint straight down into the lint while striking. It took right away! We fed it quick, dry pine needles, followed by tiny twigs, and then progressively larger branches until we had a hot, steady blaze. Because everything gathered from the forest floor burned down quickly, we quickly learned to gather twice as much wood as we thought we'd need to avoid constant firewood runs.
Golden Hours and Spider Webs
Once the fire was roaring, we settled in for dinner—a dehydrated Chicken Pho enjoyed right as the golden hour light filtered through the trees.
After eating and cleaning up, twilight set in. During the "blue hour"—that peaceful transition between dusk and dark—we wandered down the trail a bit and stumbled upon a large spider meticulously spinning its web. We stood there marveled, just watching the process.
Back at camp, we squeezed into my hammock together to gaze up at the moon and stars before turning in for the night.
Morning Miracles & Birthday Gifts
I slept remarkably well in my hammock—far better than I have in the trailer recently. For the first time in a while, I didn't experience the usual leg and hip pain from side-sleeping that has plagued me since last year's injury.
When morning came, the sun shone directly into the hammock. I woke up feeling completely refreshed, energized, and able to move easily to start morning chores (first priority: coffee!). Bill had gotten up before me and left a fun surprise in the A-frame shelter—Kermit had "escaped" his pack to sleep inside the tent for the night!
The 1.5-mile hike back out was smooth and comfortable. Carrying the pack without pain felt like a milestone. Bill looked at me and said that my ability to carry it without discomfort was the best birthday gift of all.
Crucial Lesson on Campfire Safety
Although we thought we had put the campfire out completely before turning in for the night, the next morning brought an eye-opening realization. Bill pulled a rock off the ashes, and a gentle breeze swept a few dry pine needles onto the spot. Within minutes, I noticed wisps of smoke rising from those needles. With just a little more air blown by Bill and fresh fuel added, we were able to rebuild the fire entirely—a stark reminder of how easily an unextinguished fire can spark a wildfire from seemingly "cold" ashes. The one step we had skipped the night before was thoroughly drowning the embers with water, a step we made absolutely sure to complete before leaving camp.
The Realization
Living in a teardrop trailer in primitive locations easily tricks you into thinking you're spending all your time outdoors. But at the end of the day, we still sleep inside a structure—complete with room-darkening shades pulled tight.
This trip was a powerful reminder that sleeping without a roof over your head, looking up at the night sky, and waking up naturally with the sun is still the absolute best way to feel truly rested, grounded, and energized!
Comments