Camping at the Waterbury Reservoir

Last weekend we decided we should go camping. Seth has a tent and two sleeping bags that he brought up with him during the big move, and we've never used them! Pitiful. So we spent Friday evening searching for a place to camp that was open during mud season, would be relatively secluded (we don't really like other people all that  much) and would accept Thunder for all that he is(n't).

We actually searched for quite some time before we came across a little blurb on backpacker.com that had a map of a hike with a campsite near the Waterbury Reservoir. When Seth tried to put the coordinates of the campsite into his GPS it told us it was in the middle of the lake. So, we weren't entirely sure how accurate the map was, how old it was or if someone just made it up for fun, but we were not to be intimidated! We concluded that it couldn't be THAT hard to find and everything was decided.

We spent Saturday morning getting everything we needed together: food for dinner friday night, our little camp stove, gas for the stove, sleeping bags, the tent, warm clothes...and packing it all into the two backpacking style backpacks that Seth also conveniently brought with him. We got some lunch, made a last minute trip to the grocery store so that we could have fake mashed potatoes and cheese for breakfast (fake mashed potatoes have never been found in my house before, and never will be again...unless it is for breakfast in the mountains, and that's all I have to say about that) and we were getting ready to leave the house by 2pm. (We were shooting for 1pm...not too horrible!) We got to the parking area around 2:45 and were on the trail soon after. 


I was so excited! I have never been REALLY camping before! I've been camping in a tent in Dad's backyard and basement, I've been camping in a hut and cooking over the fire with Mom on various occasions, but I've never combined the two, carried everything I would need into the woods and stayed there for an extended period. Seth found this appalling and we were discussing it when I stopped abruptly and announced "I didn't pack the matches! I forgot them!" 
"Well we need matches," Seth said, "maybe there are some in the car."


We went back to the car and found no matches. It took about 15 minutes to corral Thunder back into the car, he was not pleased. We went off in search of the closest gas station, where Seth asked if they had matches and they handed him a booklet for free.


Back to the parking area...3:30: Take Two!


Thunder bounces out of the car, Seth and I get our packs back on and we take off...again! I was so excited! I've never REALLY been camping before, which Seth found appalling. We resumed our conversation and within a few minutes the trail dead ended into the lake. Hmm. "I think we should have taken the middle route." Seth said, referring to the least visible of three sets of tracks branching off at the beginning.
"OK"
We headed back and took the middle route, which took us through a few open fields, across a mucky area of standing water, and up a steep hill before it connected to the first route, which was an old logging road.


So we're on the first trail, apparently the only one worth pursuing. Smaller paths keep branching off of the main trail and at first we take them all, because we weren't really sure where the campsite was. All we knew was that it overlooked the reservoir and that it was near Cotton Brook. All the little trails brought us back to the main one though, so we started to stick with it. (We are really fast learners...)

Eventually the trail split into two, and both were equally large. Which way should we go!? Seth pulled his GPS out and we noticed that we were almost to the brook, and almost to the point where we thought the campsite might be, so we took the one that veered towards the reservoir. Down a steep hill, around a few curves, through an old stone foundation and across a few logs and our hopes were fulfilled. I could hardly believe how awesome the campsite was, and how lucky we were that there wasn't anyone else there!


This is the view of the campsite from the trail, although I took this picture after we had already set up the tent and everything. What a fire pit!

 We picked a spot for the tent, and set it up, then collected firewood. Thunder was in heaven, and immediately ran down to the lake to splash about. Then he ran back with us to collect firewood. On the walk to the camp he kept picking up large sticks in his mouth and dragging them down the road a ways, and we were hoping that if we picked up sticks and brought them to the fire pit he would catch on and help out. He didn't. Then we went down to check out the lake. The campsite was right on a point so we had several different views of the reservoir, and a few hundred feet away the roaring Cotton Brook fed into the lake. It was idyllic! "I'm surprised you're not documenting everything," Seth said, since I hadn't gotten my camera out yet.


"There's plenty of time! I said, "We have all night!"


Since he brought it up, I got my camera out and we sat down by the lake watching Thunder run and play to his heart's content.

He DOES like to chew on sticks, even when they are sticking out of the water. Look at the lovely spring leaves! Soon they will be covered in snow, although no one knows that yet.

Since we could hear the stream raging we thought we would go check it out, so we went exploring and found lots of fun things!
Fiddleheads are ferns that are just uncurling for the spring. They are the herald of spring in Vermont and it is common for fishermen to eat them with the first catch of the season.

This is the stream as it is about to meet the reservoir. I love the new leaves on the tree, just starting to come out!

Another view of spring greenery from the point:

After we had had our fill of exploring we started a fire and made dinner. It was the first time we had ever used our little camping stove and it took a few tries to figure it out. But we got it and had a gourmet meal of sauteed/steamed vegetables and instant rice. Then we sat by the fire, then we went to bed.


When we got in the tent, Thunder huddled at the very far end, away from either of us, curled up and fell asleep. We thought it was abnormal because he usually likes to curl up on top of our legs because it is warmer. Oh well, we all fell asleep to the quiet night noises of early spring. As he drifted off, Seth said "Aren't you glad I have all of these toys?" "YES!" I exclaimed, and then I was so excited that I couldn't sleep right away. I lay awake for a while listening to the silence that can occur when a region has no crickets.

I woke up in the wee hours when the sky was still dusky and found Thunder was laying in between Seth and I, with his entire upper body draped over my legs, and his head resting on my foot. It was very warm with him there, but  my legs were both asleep and the added pressure was uncomfortable (it felt like he had been there quite some time). I tried to move my leg and couldn't, so I reached an arm out of my sleeping bag and tried to push him off. I don't know if I was weak in my state of awakesleep, or if Thunder was determined to stay where he was, but I couldn't budge him! Apparently I was causing quite a commotion because Seth woke up and asked what the trouble was. I told him I was trying to get Thunder off my legs. 
"I thought you wanted him there!" 
"I did, but now it hurts!"
"Ey, ey, ey!"

Seth moved him, and Thunder curled up again at the far end of the tent with a sigh of extreme dissatisfaction. We all fell back asleep. 

I woke up again and could feel Thunder curled up against my side, trembling. "Oh NO!" I thought, "I made him move from his nice warm spot and now he is freezing! What a horrible person I am!"
I reached down to pet him and tried to warm him up, but I kept falling asleep again, only to be woken up by his violent trembling against my side. I tried to wrap my sleeping bag around him but he wanted nothing to do with it, and moved back against the far end of the tent.


Next time I woke up I could tell that the sun was up. I sat up and saw Thunder sitting up at the far end of the tent, staring at me, as though he had been sitting there willing me to wake up. I smiled. Thunder and I looked over at Seth. Thunder was willing him to wake up because he knows if Seth wakes up, everyone gets up, but if Seth doesn't wake up, Joanna goes back to sleep. That's the way it works around here! Seth woke up, and unzipped the tent so that Thunder could get out. He was out of there like a streak of lightning, and within seconds I could hear him splashing in the lake!


Seth restarted the fire and I started up the stove to cook our fake mashed potatoes with cheese. I heard a woodpecker's pecking across the lake, and instinctively looked to see where Thunder was. I spotted him out by where the roaring brook meets the lake, staring intently across to the other side (where the woodpecker sounded). Then he barked at the woodpecker, and his bark echoed several times all through the hills surrounding the lake. Then he barked at all these unseen fellow dogs who were barking at him! NO ONE barks at Thunder on HIS lake! He barked at his echo for about a half an hour until we couldn't take it anymore and Seth bribed him back to camp with some treats.


Then we had to take some more pictures. (Have to document the morning as well!) I couldn't stop laughing when this picture turned out:

I just can't believe that Thunder is looking at the camera and sitting still! That NEVER happens! Then I finished my tea,

took one last shot, 

and then we we packed everything up and headed back to the car.


On the way back, we noticed that Thunder's tail was no longer curled up and wagging like it normally is, but was stuck between his legs, even when he came up on other dogs to play with. Once before, when we took him out for a hike in pretty deep snow, this happened, and he couldn't lift his tail for a few days. Apparently running free for a whole day, and spending a lot of time wading in the water had pooped him out! When we got home, I let him out on his lead, and he laid down in the grass. He was sitting more upright, and I watched from the door as his eyes sloooowly drooped, and once his lids were closed he would wakeupwithastart! And then his eye lids would slooooooowly droop, and finally he fell over in this position and didn't bother to get up:

(As of Wednesday, Thunder still cannot raise his tail. It has started wagging again, but not in its normal violent fashion!)