COMPLETED CAMPING : PART 4
THE CHICKEN
The Chicken consumed my thoughts prior to the trip. I simply did not trust Brian about the chicken situation. He attempted to assure me that it was ok to travel with raw chicken in an ice cooler and then eat it. Even more disturbing…the plan was to cook the chicken on night two. This seemed wrong to me. Terribly wrong. But, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings considering he had already done so much to make my first camping adventure perfect. So after a few conversations I acted like I let it go. Cut to our drive up the coast when I slipped and asked “Hey Brian, where is the raw chicken in relation to the apples in the cooler?” He looked at me like he was worried about my mental health.
Cut to-night two. The day I made it through an 8 mile hike, over-grown brush, thistle stuck on my ass, poison oak, a supposedly “cute” snake and a bobcat sighting on the trial where I happened to be wearing a backpack filled with cured meats. I was a survivor and I was so exhausted. I would have happily indulged in a hamburger and fries with no shame. But no, I knew what was coming. It was night two and that meant it was chicken night. I look back now and see there was a master plan at work. He wore me down, to the point I couldn’t say no to eating that chicken. He won. In that moment I HATED camping.
Brian built a fire for our chicken to cook on while I sipped wine. Despite my preoccupation with the situation, I still noticed his incredible fire building skills. That boy could build a fire out of one little stick. Boy scout material for sure. He also takes great pride in the activity, even retrieving his “fire gloves” from the car to perfect the position of the wood. I didn’t show him how impressed I was in the moment though. Finally, after much anticipation it was time to eat. This is hard for me to admit but that was the best damn chicken I have ever eaten and I didn’t die!
After dinner Brian and I sat by the fire, laughing, cuddling, telling stories, making s’mores…just being…with no distractions. In that moment I LOVED camping.
Somewhere deep in my soul I think there may be a camper.
See ya next year tent.
365til30.com 
Its clear that Brian learned all of his outdoor skills from his father, who we all know as “grizzley glodney”