The Spirit of Assateague

Camping at Assateague Island is not for the faint of heart. As a kid, I can think back and sort of catalog my memories not by the year 1985, 1990 and so on. It's more like the year of the huge jellyfish, or the year of the mysterious pointy things in the water. Maybe it was the year when we were evacuated because of a hurricane, or the year of especially bad biting flies or mosquitos. I could go on and on. Each camping trip came with it's own unique set of challenges.

There are also the ponies... who seem very quaint and cute to the Assateague rookies, but with the passing of time become less fun and more of a wild card as to what the week will bring. Last year they broke into our latched cooler by night and ate our bag of marshmallows, graham crackers and some bananas. Once when I was a kid, they had me surrounded in the screenhouse. I got left in there alone with the sausage and breakfast leftovers, and they were just waiting to get at that food and glaring at me impatiently. Finally, I was rescued by a little woman (Sis. Holiday) who lured them to her camp with some cantalope slices. My grandpa used to bring a whip, just in case.

The reason that I keep coming back for more, and bringing another generation along with me is the Spirit of Assateague. Sure, a nice cruise where everything goes perfectly would be a great vacation. I wouldn't have to worry about the wind blowing away a wall of my tent, or what kind of pestilence there will be. But a campout at Assateague builds resilience, which in turn builds character. I don't wish for these glitches and imperfections to strike, but as I look back through the years, those are the memories that I get the biggest laugh from.

We just took a trip to Assateague over Labor Day weekend, which I posted separately.... so read on for more....