Another time, much later & more experienced, I went camping with a friend who wasn’t very outdoorsy.

The hike in had been more overgrown than we expected and a whole section of the path in was swampy, which it hadn’t been on previous trips. We set up by a fork in two rivers, exact middle of a forest, and got a decent fire going and a decent camp established.

We spent the evening nature watching, eating good grub and drinking, him a little overdoing it on the drinking and passing out early enough.

About 3am he bolts up outta nowhere, looking around with a blank face and whisper shouting “they’re out there!” and “they’re coming for us!”

I told him to chill, there was nothing out there bigger than a fox or badger. But he just kept going, a long rant of something vague and increasingly doomy watching us all night.

I know its nonsense, but it starts getting to the stage where I’m getting uneasy, straining to identify every noise. Splash, that’s an otter or river rat. Rustle, squirrel or owl. Distant call, likely a fox.

He’s out of his tent, still wrapped in a sleeping bag, half babbling as he falls asleep against a tree near the fire. At points he’s crying occasionally.

I start to worry maybe he’s had a mental break more than just being hammered drunk. Its also about 3am and getting quite chilly. I decide we bail, there’s a road about 30 minute walk (on a good day) we can make it to if I help him slowly, can call a friend to pick us up. I break down camp by myself, take down both our tents and let the fire go low. It’s now about 4am. He’s stopped cry babbling. Once we’re ready I shake him awake, tell him we’re bailing.

He wakes up, refuses and rolls over. I eventually wake him again. He has no idea what I’m talking about. Goes back to sleep.

Now I’m bloody freezing so I get the fire roaring and hunker down til sun rise about 3 hours later, very grumpy.

We still give him stick about it to this day, he just shrugs and chuckles 😅