This was an adventure for the agesâ
outdoor camping, rain, wind, and cold-soaked everything.
The kind of trip thatâs miserable in the moment⌠and legendary forever.
I headed to beautiful St. Croix and camped through a tropical storm.
It was Wednesday, October 4th, 2023âŚ
And it was the very first flight I ever took using my Frontier Airlines All-You-Can-Fly passâwhich immediately set the tone by becoming one of the biggest (and possibly craziest) adventures Iâve done.
Iâve traveled with my hammock all over the place. Itâs compact, lightweight, and all I need are two trees to be comfortable. This trip was no different. I packed my hammock, a rain fly, and the bare-bones camping essentials and figured Iâd let the island handle the rest.
What I didnât plan on was a tropical storm.
Wind.
Rain.
THUNDER and lightning.
More rain.
Still, thereâs something oddly satisfying about riding out nature with a plan for the next night. I hunkered down in the fort and never saw another drop of rain or wind for the rest of the trip. Â
It wasnât glamorous, but it was unforgettableâand thatâs the point.
I had all the base-camp essentials dialed inârunning water, a flushable toilet, a beer fridge, and a perfectly chosen setup spot.
This wasnât roughing it⌠this was Living Life to the Fullest with a side of regret …
Everything was in place for an amazing few days exploring the island of St. Croix. I had the gear, the location, and the mindset. All that was left was to let the island do what islands do bestâsurprise you.
There was a tropical storm in the islands that first nightâwhich, for the record, is technically less intense than a full-blown hurricane.
I had convinced myself it meant âa little rain.â
I was buckled in, hammock tight, rain fly secured, feeling smugly preparedâŚ
LMAO. đŞď¸
What I actually got was wind, sideways rain, and Mother Nature reminding me who really runs the campground.
If Iâd used proper tent pegs that first night, everything would have worked out just fine. Instead, I spent the evening soaked and shivering, with my rain fly snapping like a flag in a hurricaneâevery gust reminding me that optimism is not a weatherproofing strategy.
But after that brutal first night, everything changed.
Once the storm passed and I fixed my setup, it transformed from the worst night of rest into the absolute best. I slept peacefully, wrapped in my hammock, listening to the forest breatheâleaves rustling, insects hummingâwhile a gentle breeze from my little ceiling fan kept things cool.
From survival mode to pure bliss in one night.
It was about a 30-minute walk to the beach, which was another reason the camping was so inexpensiveâjust far enough to save on accommodations and justify the next beer. The beach bar had an unreal view too. đ
Nothing like earning your sunset with a walk, then immediately undoing it with a cold drink and a front-row seat to the horizon.
Lesson learnedâand filed under experience beats theory.
Next time, Iâll bring proper tent pegs.
And yesâŚ
I will absolutely be hammock camping in the islands again. 