We are really getting a storm this morning. The rain is coming down in blinding sheets and the rumble of thunder is almost constant. I can hear the tornado warning sirens wailing off in the distance.
The hard thing about urban homelessness is there are no shelters. If you are not lucky enough to find shelter then you have to tough it out and brave the elements. Luckily I had a very nice sturdy tent. I have a Kelty expedition style tent. The same kinds of tents used by serious mountaineers and wilderness backpackers. It has tie down hooks were you can run extra lines to trees or such to anchor it in high winds.
During my stint in homelessness in the winter here in the south, I quickly learned to take the time to use those tie downs to secure my tent after I had moved it to another location. I also learned to always seam seal my tent on a regular basis. Seam sealing is where you use a water proof paste to seal all the seams that are exposed to the weather. Nothing sucks worse to wake up to a freezing cold morning after a storm front blew through and your tent had leaked and your down sleeping bag was wet. Down doesn’t insulate well or if at all when it gets wet. That would make for a disaster and a very cold, miserable homeless person.
The storm today brings up memories of one very stormy night that I got caught off guard. I had been cooking a supper that consisted of freeze dried beef stew. I had built a big fire and used my little camp stove to boil some water. I had neglected to check the weather band on my radio. I was listening to NPR’s all things considered.
Soon, the wind began to pick up greatly and the temperature started to drop very rapidly. “Oh, Shit!” I thought. A big storm was on the way. All the signs were right. To make matters worse the sun had almost set and it was growing very dark. I thought about getting on my motorcycle and driving over here to the house but it was a 45 minute ride and I would be up shit creek if I got caught in the storm while riding.
I scrambled to get my backpack and all my gear inside my tent. I checked my guidelines and made sure they were secure and taunt. Then, the sleet started and the wind picked up to gale force. I crossed my fingers that my tent would hold. The lightening would light up my tent in great, instantaneous flashes. The only way I could stay warm was to layer my clothes and get in my sleeping bag and bundle up.
I laid in that bag for hours filled with anxiety hoping a limb wouldn’t fall on me or that my tent wouldn’t rip open or fly off. I also prayed that under such a deluge my interior would stay dry. Luckily, I made in through in spades and chalked it up as a good learning experience. Always check the weather band on a daily basis. Don’t fool around with mother nature.
There was also this adrenaline rush I experience that is hard to describe. I was out in nature and experiencing its full force. I was at the mercy of the elements and reliant upon my skills as a woodsman to survive. Would I want to do it again? Maybe not under such adverse conditions but I have camped in some pretty heavy summer thunder storms after I had gotten my home.
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