Pitch a tent, attract a handsome fellow or three, and meet an amazing kid
Twice whilst I was engaged in pitching a tent, three handsome, strong, virile young men came running over, unbidden, to help. A third time, a time I will never forget, the most amazing little boy volunteered to help me.
First time at the beach in Galveston: as my friend Pam and I, both well into our fifties, set upon pitching her beach shelter, three young thirty-something men appeared to help. We were indeed struggling a little due to the breeze off the gulf. Mission accomplished, and they returned to their camp, with our profuse thanks.
The shelter, by the way, was more of a portable gazebo than a tent. The “roof” was a separate structure from the side poles. The shelter walls were gauze-like screens that could be tied to the poles out of the way.
Due to the constant breeze from the gulf, we double guyed the front poles and did not guy the rear. Heavenly, enjoying the ocean breeze from the comfort of that shelter. (Coincidence that the stabilizing ropes are called “guys”? I think not.)
Second time was at my favorite campground, Oakdale Park. Although I’ve set up my tent many times solo, I was delighted when three fellows in their mid-30s from a neighboring campsite ran over to my campsite to help. “Don’t even try to talk us out of it,” one said.
The tent, with rainfly, went up in less than five minutes. Thanks, guys, and they returned to their site. I offered to return the favor as they were striking their own camp the next day, but they demurred.
The latest time was at family camp-out at a big city park. Camping 101, I called it. A co-worker, her sister, and I, all experienced campers, decided to go just for fun, in two tents. I arrived after dark due to work commitments. Although I had pitched my tent many times in the daylight, in the pitch dark was another story. I struggled to distinguish the two different sized poles and worried about losing track of stakes and guying cords in the darkness.
From a nearby campsite, a young boy named Tanner appeared out of the darkness and offered to help me. It was an experience I will never forget.
In an amazing display of mechanical intuition, this boy about 10 years old, without any instruction from me, figured out that the tent had two types of poles and discerned how they all fit together in the tent. We worked together as if we’d been doing this for years. He also figured out how to fit the shock-corded poles into the sleeves, form each into an arch, and wrestle the ends into pockets. (My tent has a main dome and what I call the east and west wings, as well as a “portico.”) And then there was the rainfly with its hooks and elastic cords.
The next morning, I walked over to thank Tanner and to tell his parents what an amazing kid he was. It was so dark the night before, that I had no idea what Tanner even looked like. Also, their tent was nothing like mine, so he did not even have a blueprint in mind when he endeavored to help me. How did he know about the two different type of poles and where they fit?
I hope Tanner finds his niche in technology and leads a fulfilling life solving problems and making the world a better place.
