Rustic Pine River Campground

Pine River Rustic Campground

Ravens and hawks flying above us, the air is warm and there is a slight breeze. We back up our popup trailer in a good spot, a shaded area. I spray Skin So Soft bug repellant on myself and our dogs. I hand the bottle to my husband Don and he sprays some on himself. The bugs are terrible when you are in the woods.  I love the rustic campground. No electricity, no lights except for the flashlights and candles I bring to provide lumination. Sometimes we hear people riding four wheelers on the roads near the campground. Otherwise we are by ourselves, completely by ourselves.

Doogie is excited. He remembers there is water he can going swimming in. He is definitely a water dog. I walk our dogs down to the water. I walk down a path that becomes narrower. There is a walking bridge that adjoins the two sides of the stream, probably Pine River. Doogie and Snickers our other dog jump in the water. They are drinking the cool nectar, splashing and putting their heads in the water.  Tails wagging. Once they are cooled off, I take them back to the camp sight to see if Don needs my help with setting things up.

I enter the trailer and make our bed for the evening. Find the hand sanitizer and candle that we will use as a night light, a candle in a glass jar. We also have battery operated lights and flashlights. Snickers  needs to go out at night to relieve himself and the night can be as black as being in a dark tunnel, depending on the state of the moon.

Everything is set up including the chairs and Don starts preparing a campfire. We love to sit near campfires to read and discuss things that are going on in our lives. We happen to be best friends who love to spend time in each other’s company.

Don likes to take naps in the afternoon so he prepared to sit near the campfire and doze off. I used this time, which was still afternoon, to take our dogs for a walk on the North Country Trail. The trail is located across the road from the campground. Again, our dogs recognize the trail since we walked it many times and follow me with eager anticipation.

The trail was mostly flat with some overgrowth in some areas and goes deep into the woods, one of my favorite places to be. I like to go hiking a lot in wooded areas either by myself or with Don and our dogs.  The day is in the 80s but it feels cooler when I am in the woods. Doogie and Snickers stick to the trail or explore at the sides of the trail.  They are good dogs who have to keep us in their sight so they do not stray far. They love the smells and new experiences. I love the smell of pine, listening to the birds and experiencing the warm breeze on my face. 

I usually time my walks and my plan today was to walk approximately 25 minutes in and then turn around and walk back to the camp sight. Don’t want to be gone too long.  Dry leaves were rustling under my feet in some locations, spongy, soft moss was under my feet for a short distance but most of the time it was hard dirt surface.  Ferns grew along part of the path.

When I return to the camp sight, we begin to prepare dinner. We cooked hot dogs over the camp fire. I like to incorporate fruits and vegetables into our diet so we munched on carrots, celery and apples. Our appetites are satisfied so we settle down in front of the camp fire to read. Another one of our favorite things to do. It is too dark to read in front of the fire so we talk and stare at the fire. We yawn and decide it is time to turn in. Our dogs gladly climb into the trailer and are fast asleep shortly after they lay down on their bed, dreaming about their wonderful day. We fall asleep soon afterwards listening to the birds, crickets and the slight breeze emanating through the screens.