Now That It's Next Week I've Got Butterflies

I've been sitting around waiting for June so that I can go camping. And I've been going stir crazy. So, like any other red-blooded American, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and recently (within the last two days) decided to go camping somewhere else first. By somewhere else I mean Raccoon Creek State Park. "When?", you ask. May 8th and 9th. "Why?" Well, the stupidity of waiting until June to camp just kinda hit me. What with the fact that I've never camped, my gear is largely untested in the field and June is still almost two months away, I'm going to try to ease into it. Before I find myself ten miles in with a leaky tent, a cold sleeping bag (when I saw that it was snowing in the Adirondacks this week all I could say was 'Holy Crap!') and a broken stove. I made a reservation at one of the tent sites in the park, ordered more good stuff from Packit Gourmet, cleared my absence with the wife and next weekend I'll be packing up the Jeep and heading to PA. It'll just be one night and the campsite does have a gravel access road but there are bears in PA....and the access road is gated. So, I could be eaten and have my carcass dragged into the woods before a ranger could open the gate and drive down the road. Plus, I bought more stuff from REI and I still need to return some stuff (this, too) so I can stop into a store over in Pittsburgh. I'm planning a circumnavigation of the park and I'm hoping to hit the trail by 10 o'clock am (leaving from the park office lot on Rte 18). If you're in the area come hike with me. If you're not in the area "It's beautiful here, wish you were!"