Xiaoyang | Solo Camping "Adventure"

A few days ago, I saw that Xiao Jing had posted a photo of going camping alone on her Moments, and it looked really interesting. It seemed I had never been deep into the mountains by myself, let alone gone camping. Suddenly, I became interested, so I asked Xiao Jing for the location.

I planned to go and have a look when my shop took its day off. Since I had fallen off my bike and injured my knee while riding in the rain a couple of days earlier, I chose a spot that I could drive to. Once the location was set, the next step was to prepare the things I needed for camping.

The day before I set out, I tried to prepare as thoroughly as possible to prevent any accidents. I recalled what I needed to bring for camping: a table, a stool, a pot, a stove, a knife, a raincoat, a change of clothes, a phone charger, and mosquito repellent. Since there was no signal in the mountains, I also brought a book. To make the trip even more comfortable, I even took along a massager. After the equipment was ready, it was time for food. I never skimp on food, so I made sure to prepare well: a variety of snacks, noodles, fruits, water, and garbage bags—all packed into a basket and ready to go. After checking everything once more to make sure nothing was missing, I just waited for the next day to arrive.

I slept in until I naturally woke up, had lunch, and finally set off. Following the navigation, the weather turned out to be unexpectedly nice along the way. The forecast had said it would rain, but I didn't encounter any. Listening to music, my mood became lighter and more excited as I got closer to my destination.

When I reached the location that Xiao Jing had sent, it didn't seem right, quite different from the place she had described. I quickly asked her if the location was correct, and then I started driving forward along the small road while looking at the map, trying to find the right place on my own. After a while, Xiao Jing called to tell me that the location she had given me earlier was wrong, and she sent me a new one. Although both places were called Tizipo, they were 40 kilometers apart, so I had to set off again.

By then it was already past five in the afternoon. According to the navigation, it would still take about an hour to get to where I needed to go. I rushed along in the right direction, only to be met with endless winding mountain roads. There were many sharp turns, and I had to concentrate fully on driving. Xiao Jing had said there were many forks in the road and it was easy to get lost. Sure enough, I took a wrong turn at one fork. The car stalled while going up a slope. The slope was very steep, and it took tremendous effort to get up, only to find that I had ended up in someone's yard. Helplessly, I had to get out and ask the family how to get to where I was going. The uncle was very kind and told me the correct way, so I continued in the direction he pointed.

Finally, I reached the location before six in the evening. Since there was no signal at the exact spot and precise positioning was impossible, I needed to ask the local villagers for the specific directions and whether the car could get through. The villagers I met were all very kind and enthusiastic, and they told me the route. So I drove along the small path and went forward.

When I saw the stretches of grassland and forest, I knew I had found the right place. This way, I drove into the depths of the meadow and began to look for a spot to set up camp. I stopped the car on a flat part in the center of the meadow. No longer able to contain my excitement, I hurriedly got out while the car was still running to look around at my surroundings.

Looking at the beautiful scenery before me, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Taking deep breaths of the fresh air, it was simply wonderful! I felt like the happiest person in the world at that moment. Emotion and excitement filled my heart, and everything I saw was met with curiosity and anticipation. The babbling brook, the goats scattered like little stars across the grassland, the rustling of cicadas and birdsong—all of it suddenly became incredibly vivid. At that moment, the setting sun cast its glow over the meadow and onto me, warm and cozy. Recalling the dangers I had encountered along the way, I felt even more satisfied with what I saw before me, and I was glad that I had decided to come camping alone.

After calming down a bit, I began to set up camp. My little car could lay all the seats flat, and then I just needed to inflate the air mattress and place it on the seats, making it like a small bed. I spread a small blanket, put down a pillow, and unzipped the sleeping bag. In no time, my little nest for the night was ready.

After setting up the table and stool, I piled all the prepared food onto the table, then eagerly sat down and looked out at the distant scenery, letting my mind go blank. While it was still light, I set up the stove and cooked some noodles to enjoy a good meal. After eating and drinking to my heart's content, I quickly cleaned up, turned on the massager, and read a book while enjoying a massage.

As the sky gradually darkened, I glanced at the time—it was nine o'clock. So I crawled into the car, lay down on my little bed, turned on the light, and continued reading. Usually, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get into any book at home, but tonight I read with ease. Before I knew it, I had finished the whole book. I looked up at the time—it was midnight. I decided to wash up and go to sleep, setting my alarm for seven thirty the next morning.

Maybe it was because I was sleeping outdoors. Although I didn't feel scared, it seemed that the excitement hadn't worn off yet. At four thirty in the middle of the night, I couldn't sleep anymore. So I thought I'd write down today's experience in detail. Now the sky was slowly beginning to lighten, and the heavy rain finally arrived as expected.

Now it was pouring outside. Listening to the rain pelting against the roof of the car, occasionally mixed with thunder, I gradually felt drowsy again. If it was still raining heavily at nine thirty, I would pack up and head down the mountain. Fortunately, fate was on my side—when I slept until nine thirty, the rain had actually stopped. So I quickly packed up my things, cooked a steaming bowl of noodles, and after eating, I started hiking to explore the meadow and forest. I began picking all kinds of things here and there. When I left, I forgot to bring a basket, so I had no choice but to stuff everything I had gathered into my clothes. I saw that it was already noon, so I headed back.

Although there was no signal in the mountains, it didn't stop me from being in a good mood. Looking at the full load of treasures in my hands, I felt very satisfied and decided to look for a new campsite next week.

June 6, 2024

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