An Old Camper’s Introduction to Emotional Camping 2 - Preparation Stage

In the previous post, there was a process I had left out in my haste to move the story along quickly, so I’m整理ing the preparation stage again here.

This is the process before the internet-fueled rush delivery.

On a weekend, while my roommate was out, I made a surprise move and took my son with me to Gorilla Camping in Hanam.

I was disappointed to hear that vehicle docking tents were in short supply, so I’d have to place a reservation order and wait.

Instead, I bought a table, chairs, and a lantern as soon as I saw them.

Twin burners with an integrated windscreen on the table also caught my eye, but I could already hear my roommate’s sharp voice ringing in my ears.

So I calmed myself down, thinking, ‘We should advance little by little—slowly, step by step, until the perfect setup is achieved...’

For a first-time camper, the outing to buy camping gear felt like another world.

There were so many different camping products that my eyes widened, and there were plenty of items whose purpose I couldn’t tell at a glance.

The specific products I rather impulsively but cautiously bought were as follows.

Camping table - Marex Camping Table1200

Chair - Marex Long Relaxing Chair

Lantern - Claymore Ultra Plus (L)

The sky was incredibly clear, and spring flowers that had just begun blooming along the Han River were swaying like babies taking their first steps.

After shopping, we each searched for a nearby restaurant to have lunch, full of happiness and excitement.

We decided on the place my son chose.

In case I made the decision and it turned out disappointing... then I’d be the only one to blame.

‘Icheon Rice Set Meal Restaurant Geogung Hanam Branch’

It was a restaurant we had stopped by without much expectation, but it turned out to be an unexpectedly great choice.

The servers were so busy that things felt a little hectic, and it even seemed a bit unfriendly,

but the food~~~!!!

There were so many generous and varied side dishes that there was not a single thing to throw away.

It was, quite literally, a feast.

When we got home, I carefully set the boxes we had bought down in a corner of the living room and looked forward to the perfect timing for a stylish unboxing that evening.

In the meantime, I dove into a storm of searching about camping burners. I also looked around various camping YouTube channels...

‘So the conclusion is, Guibada!!!’

I ordered the Kovea GuiBada online.

Since our family has four people, I thought we’d need two more chairs.

I ordered Zed relaxing chairs online as well.

At last, in the evening when the family had gathered,

I showed off a bit while unboxing, and spread the table and camping chairs out in the living room!

At that moment, for some reason, the relaxing chair felt more comfortable and happier than the cozy living room sofa...

With the camping table in front of me, sinking into the relaxing chair and gently closing my eyes in happiness,

Roommate: “What is this box!!! How many lanterns does our house already have, and now another lantern!!!”

Me: “ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

‘As soon as the GuiBada arrives, I’ll head out somewhere without hesitation and put that table and those chairs under the open sky right away!!!’

Finally, the weekend came.

After finishing work at 4 p.m. on Saturday, I gathered ingredients and other things from home and got ready to leave.

Roommate: “So, where are we going???”

Everyone in the family looked at me.

Me: “Uh... I’m not really sure ㅠㅠㅠ I need to search now!”

After urgently searching, I suggested Imjingang Columnar Joint in Yeoncheon as the destination.

‘With a one-burner, no shelter, and no fire pit.....’

After getting ready for all sorts of things, we set off well after 5 p.m.,

and the kind navigation system told us the estimated arrival time at Imjingang Columnar Joint was 7:10 p.m.

But,

7:10 p.m. in April felt far too harsh for me...

And if we ended up fumbling around in the dark again, there would be the family’s piercing looks...

Maybe because the days were getting longer, it was still bright even after 6 p.m.,

so with the hope that if we arrived before 7, we might be able to start while it wasn’t dark yet...

Ten minutes before the destination, the sun disappeared beyond the mountain, and darkness arrived in an instant.

We barely managed to get set up, arranged the table and chairs, and then looked around for a place to hang the Claymore lantern.

There wasn’t a good place to hang the lantern, so I tried hanging it on a nearby tree branch, but it was too weak ㅠㅠㅠ

In the end, I awkwardly hung it with great difficulty on the side of the car trunk door.

The power of the Claymore lantern was truly impressive!

It was as if a streetlight were shining~~~!!!

I spread out the GuiBada like a secret weapon and launched into a long speech.

‘This really has so many functions! Depending on the grill and pan setup,

you can grill meat, make stew, and even cook ramen!

Anything is possible!!!’

My roommate, who always grumbles but carefully and sincerely prepares the food, got the meat and mushrooms ready.

Roommate: “But if we grill meat here, where are we supposed to warm up the rice?”

Me: “Uh... right, thenㅠㅠㅠ”

In fact, when we were packing before leaving, my roommate had taken an old portable butane gas stove out of the veranda storage cabinet,

but I was so focused on the GuiBada that the old stove didn’t even catch my eye, and I had said we didn’t need it.

The empty space left by that gas stove, which I had left behind because I thought it wouldn’t suit the newly acquired quartet—the table, chairs, GuiBada, and Claymore lantern—felt much bigger than expected.

With no other choice, we boiled water in a pot, warmed the Hetbahn first,

and after waiting our turn, began grilling the meat on the shiny new grill of the GuiBada.

(Only later did I notice that there was a big warning on the GuiBada grill saying not to grill meat on it at all!)

The evening temperature in Yeoncheon in April was quite chilly,

but since it was well past dinner time, the taste of meat grilled over direct heat was excellent.

Fortunately, the children also looked happy and cheerful.

‘Back in my younger days—my latte days—the camping menu that was a top regular item was stew made with canned mackerel or canned tuna...’

By the time we had taken care of our hunger,

daughter asked me,

Daughter: “Did you bring the Bluetooth speaker for music?”

Me: “Of course I brought it!!!”

Among the portable Bluetooth speakers I had once tried almost all of, the only one left was the shabbiest one,

which I used to mount on my bicycle handlebar while riding.

That was because I had gifted the properly good Bluetooth speakers to various acquaintances.

When I connected that Bluetooth speaker after a long time, the Bluetooth connection dropped after 10 minutes,

and it would not work because the battery was drained.

We boiled the ramen we had brought, eased our stomachs a little with warm broth,

and each had a cup of coffee mix.

Ah~ No fire pit and no shelter, so the evening was so cold~~~~ㅠㅠㅠ

Nearby, quiet family campers were enjoying the atmosphere while staring into the fire in their fire pit...

My roommate asked me,

“I brought sweet potatoes and potatoes wrapped in foil, but since we don’t have a fire pit, should we ask those people?”

I was startled and tried to stop them.

“Right now, we’re full, and those people are quietly resting—it would be rude!”

...........

Without a shelter,

without a fire pit,

we were buried in camping chairs in the chilly weather,

the music was nothing special either, but

it was a quiet evening that felt as if Pat Metheny’s "The Moon is a harsh mistress" were playing.

Even in this situation, with many things lacking and clumsy, the family’s expressions looked happy.

This first attempt at a test camp, while not great, managed to avoid a failing grade—and now I was beginning to feel confident.

Now it’s time to start making a proper ‘list of needed items’!!!

Lessons learned

1. Arrive before the sun sets
2. Prepare at least two burners
3. When the weather is chilly, you need a shelter.
4. Do not grill meat on the GuiBada grill
5. A stand for hanging the lantern is needed
6. It would be nice to have a fire pit where you can sit and watch the flames
7. It would be nice to prepare a Bluetooth speaker that can at least play quiet music