Camping at Sherando Lake – June 4 – 6, 2024

Wayne and I frequently visited Sherando Lake. We loved to walk on the trails, swim, take tons of pictures–and we especially enjoyed camping there. We always had such a good time, and I am thankful for the memories….

Now, as I work through the heartbreak and raw emotions that have been part of my daily life since Wayne’s death from cancer, I’ve realized that I don’t just miss him, I also miss us. After so many years together, it’s very strange to think singularly, “What do I want to do?” “Where do I want to go?” Along with these and a thousand other (unanswered) questions, I also wondered if I would still want to go camping.

When I was maybe 8 or 9, my parents bought our first small travel trailer, and camping became just what we did. All through my childhood and until I graduated from college, we also traveled with our travel trailers. And I loved it.

Wayne and I found our first little camper in 2014 (a Scamp fixer-upper), and we enjoyed visiting local campgrounds with it. When we upgraded to a Coachmen Clipper, it allowed us to do some real traveling with a trailer, which was so much fun:

As I thought about solo camping, I first considered the logistics. I’d successfully taken the trailer to have it inspected in April, and that was the first time I’d ever hooked it up by myself. I’d never needed to do that before, but I found I was able to do it. And since I almost always drove when we were towing–short trips or long–I knew I was comfortable driving with the trailer. Safety is always a concern, and I’m possibly more cautious than most, but what I didn’t know (and couldn’t come at “logistically”) was if I’d actually enjoy camping alone. But I felt I needed to find out….

To ease myself into this very familiar–but now very, very different–experience, I made reservations at Sherando for a couple of nights when one of my cousins and her husband would be volunteer camp hosts there. While I didn’t plan to hang out with them the whole time, just knowing someone in the campground seemed like a good idea.

So on a hot and humid day in early June, I was once again able to get the trailer hooked up to my car. The backup camera on the Jeep is so very helpful in that regard!

The drive on I-64 was uneventful, and after about 40 minutes I arrived at the campground. It was several degrees cooler there in the mountains than at home, and that was a good thing!

The site I’d reserved was in River Bend Loop, and it was the same site that Wayne and I had in 2019.

I don’t know exactly how long it took me to get backed into my campsite, but it took a really long time. I basically know how to do this, and I’d hoped it would be easier than it was! But being there midweek when it wasn’t crowded meant that I could patiently back up, pull forward, and back up again (and again…) until I got it right.

Once I had the electricity on and everything set up, I sat outside to take in the views from my campsite.

And, of course, I reflected on memories from before in B4. Some things hadn’t changed much since 2019…

…and yet some things had changed so very, very much….

My cousin invited me to eat dinner with them at their campsite in C loop, and we sat outside at their picnic table until the rains came. When the rain got really heavy we went inside their trailer and talked until it started to slack off some. Their rain gauge recorded an inch and a half from that downpour!

Back at my campsite it was just too wet to sit outside–and way too wet to think about having a campfire–so I went inside the trailer. I noticed that my water pump kept coming on for a few seconds about every ten minutes or so, and that shouldn’t happen… I remembered something my cousin’s husband had said about an issue they’d had with their water pump due to a leak in a low point drain. I wondered if there was a problem with mine, too, so I went outside to check. Sure enough, I could see water dripping from one of the low point drains. Apparently I hadn’t gotten the cap on straight after I’d sanitized the fresh water tank earlier in the spring.

Well, it seemed like a simple fix to just remove the cap and put it back on, but as soon as I unscrewed it, water started shooting out like a fire hose, hitting the ground and splashing up on me! I was totally and utterly soaked in seconds! I was finally able to get the cap back on–and the water pump DID stop its intermittent grumbling–but this wasn’t exactly how I thought things would go on my first night out. I didn’t turn off the water pump before removing the cap; maybe that would have made a difference? I don’t know! (This picture–taken after the fact, of course–shows the low point drain that was leaking.)

But after changing into dry clothes and hanging up everything in my bathroom (I mean everything: shirt, jeans, underwear, socks!), I settled down to read for a while. I also made some notes about things I’d want to bring with me on future camping trips–so yes, I was already starting to think ahead.

By 10:00 I was getting sleepy, and to my surprise I drifted off quickly once I got in bed. Rain on the roof woke me around 1 a.m., but I was comfortable and pleasantly warm, and I slept until almost 7, which was pretty amazing.

The next morning I made a half pot of coffee and had a simple breakfast. I’d brought all sorts of food with me, but I didn’t feel like cooking anything. I walked some, and later in the afternoon my cousin and I took a couple of pictures together at the pavilion before going down to the beach.

Some hardy souls were swimming in this spring-fed mountain lake (brrr….), but we enjoyed sitting on one of the benches for a while, happy to see a bit of sunshine.

It was nice to just sit and talk, but there were memories from “before” everywhere….

Another rainy evening meant another quiet evening, and I enjoyed being in my cozy trailer with a cup of hot tea reading the books I’d brought with me. Once again, I slept well.

The next morning I made a quick visit to the lake as dark clouds started moving in. It was so beautiful and so peaceful, and the calm water was as reflective as a highly-polished mirror.

The two Canada Geese that we’d seen the day before were grazing right beside the paved pathway to the beach. To my surprise they didn’t move as I walked within a couple of feet of them, but when I turned to take their picture, the one lying down hissed at me! While that made me laugh, I respected its warning and moved away. Quickly.

Later, back at my campsite, my cousin and her husband stopped by to see if I needed any help getting things packed up and ready to leave. I said I thought I’d be okay, and I thanked them for dinner and for their hospitality.

Once again I got the Jeep hitched up to the trailer. And once again I secured everything inside, and checked the chains, break away cable, lights, turn signals, anti-sway bar, etc.. It started sprinkling as I pulled out of B loop, and it was still drizzling lightly when I stopped at the dump station–which was another “first time, all by myself” experience.

The trip home was again uneventful, and I was able to get the trailer back where I wanted it in the driveway. Despite the rain, it had been a relaxing and restorative couple of days at Sherando Lake.

B4, before, B4… Memories from before–and this profound sense of loss–will always be with me. But as I slowly move into a future that I didn’t fully anticipate–rebuilding, restructuring, and reinventing myself, as necessary–maybe I’ll someday know how to answer the question of “What comes after?”

Peace and Love,

Sharon