Our First Summer Camping Trip: A Beginner's Adventure in Gangwon-do
With Liberation Day giving us a long weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), we couldn't just let it pass by. So, we decided to go camping!
To be honest, I've been camping a couple of times, but I'd never actually set up a tent or used any of the equipment myself. My boyfriend hadn't been since his family's wild camping trips when he was a kid. We were basically both camping newbies.
Plus, since it was our first time camping in the middle of summer, everyone around us kept saying things like, "Rent an air conditioner!" "Rent a refrigerator!" "It's going to be so hot!"
We ignored it all and, with a "We're young, we can handle it!" attitude, we set off for a campsite in Gangwon-do.
We had reserved a spot at a campsite in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do.
Originally, we had a deck site reserved, but suddenly the owner called, saying they'd missed a previous reservation for that spot. They asked if the next site was okay, and we said we didn't mind.
It turned out the changed spot was in a corner, which was even better!
Naturehike Tent 12. I bought this tent two years ago, but I'd never even unfolded it.
Back then, I didn't have a car or anyone to go with, so I just bought the tent and it ended up in storage. But finally, I got to set it up!
Since it's an air tent, pitching it only took about 5 minutes. But the tent weighs 30kg...
It's so heavy that my boyfriend and I can barely lift it together. I saw so many videos on YouTube saying, "A tent that even a woman can easily set up!" but because of the weight, it's absolutely impossible to do alone.
I wanted a big, spacious tent, so I bought a large size. People around me asked why I bought such a big one, but I was so satisfied with how roomy and comfortable it was on this camping trip.
The overall look of the pitched tent was pretty impressive. Better than our house, haha.
Since the campsite was nestled among trees, I wondered if we even needed a tarp. But everyone around me said a tarp is essential, no matter the season, so we borrowed one from my boyfriend's friend.
It turned out to be incredibly effective. We would have been in big trouble without it!
It blocked UV rays even when there was no sun, and it kept bugs and leaves from falling from the trees. We were so glad we borrowed it.
Since we were camping newbies, we didn't have much equipment, so we borrowed everything we could from friends. We only had one table of our own.
We brought another borrowed table, and I wondered if we would even need it, but it turned out to be essential. Otherwise, we would have run out of space and had to put everything on the ground. I'm so glad we had it! LOL
After setting up the tent, we took a short break and then played Splendor, which my boyfriend brought.
I used to be really good at board games, but why can't I think straight or win these days? I played two rounds and lost both times. Maybe I need to practice all day long!
We hadn't been playing board games for long when we both got hungry. So, we quickly made a seasoned seafood mix? My boyfriend brought a seafood kit, and we put the sauce and seafood in a large plastic bag, mixed it all up, and then added boiled pasta. It was delicious!
It tasted kind of like the seasoning in spicy braised monkfish or seafood stew.
We also bought grapefruit and lemon highballs on a whim at the supermarket. They had real fruit inside, so they were sweet, tangy, and refreshing.
They felt cleaner and crisper than other highballs!
Eating carbs made me so sleepy… I think all we did on this camping trip was eat, sleep, eat, and sleep.
Carbs made my head spin and filled me up. It was like there was a sleeping pill in the food. I fell asleep right after eating, and I think I took two or three naps every day. LOL
Before every nap, we always took a walk around the campsite.
We asked the owner if there were any streams nearby and went for a walk to one, where we only dipped our feet in the water.
There was a stream, but it was more like a small pond, so we just dipped our feet in and splashed around before heading back. LOL
If I have one camping fantasy, it's to decorate my tent with fairy lights!
But we didn't have any batteries, so I rushed to the shop, and the owner just gave them to me as a service. Hooray!
Next to our deck, there were about eight people? Couples who had come. They had reserved four sites and were all gathered together on one deck, eating right next to our tent.
Since it was our first time camping, we weren't familiar with camping etiquette and didn't know how quiet we needed to be, so we were a little apprehensive.
But the people on the next deck were even louder, so we just relaxed and drank and talked late into the night.
The owner kept apologizing to us for being so loud because it was our first time camping, and whenever we went to the shop, they would just give us things. LOL
Originally, they had a limit on the number of people they allowed, but because the couples had rented four decks and gathered in one place, the owner hadn't been informed in advance. The owner kept asking if we were uncomfortable.
The owner was very, very kind!
I had been saving a bottle of whiskey I bought at the duty-free shop, and I finally tried it on this camping trip. It was perfect for our couple's taste, since we both love bourbon!
We weren't hungry since we had just eaten dinner, so we didn't have a proper meal at night. Instead, we grilled dried pollack on the charcoal and ate beef jerky that my boyfriend had brought from home. We just kept snacking.
We both hadn't been sleeping well, so we played for a while on the first night and then crashed.
It wasn't hot at all, and at night it actually got cold enough that we had to sleep under blankets.
Day 1 Review: Summer camping isn't so bad after all!
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