Coupon Irony

Ok, so I just finished my blog entry regarding President Bush declaring the week beginning with the third Sunday of each October as National Forest Products Week when I picked up my can of Coca-Cola (truly one of the greatest gifts to mankind) and noticed a coupon for $2 off any purchase of Bounty. Below that? $2 off Charmin.

Irony at its best.

This isn't how the military camps . . .

Here’s one memory that stands out from one of our first outback trips:

Who can forget hiking with a 20 lb. plus canvas army-grade tent on my back through the Manistee National Forest? That was on top of the pack I had to borrow from another buddy, since I didn’t have much gear of my own yet. (I still have his two official Boy Scout cooking kits – sorry Gregg!) I did have my own sleeping bag, which I believe was strapped to the bottom of the pack. This was before my discovery of sleeping pads, so at least that was one less thing to carry, and I was young enough then that it wasn't a necessity! 

In any case, the poles from the tent were about 30 inches long, and the tent was, of course, rolled around the poles. It didn’t take long to discover that many of the trees through which we were hiking were, in fact, LESS than 30 inches apart. It only took one time of getting “caught” to figure out this wasn’t going to be the most relaxing hike of my life. So, here I am hiking through the woods with my fellow outdoorsmen, twisting and turning as I pass through the trees to ensure I can make it through the woods – mostly sideways. That tent was a behemoth! But, it kept us warm and dry, and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world on that trip!

This was back in the days when we would park and hike a good ways into the woods (we tend to setup camp a bit closer to the trucks nowadays). I recall warming the MREs on the stones around the fire. Keep in mind, these weren’t your camp store Meals Ready to Eat. One of the guys went to the local army surplus store and picked up the authentic pouches of grub. Mmmmm, turkey tetrazini . . . I know one of us had the beef stew.

Things have changed since then: MUCH better food; and MUCH lighter tents (thank goodness!). The one thing that hasn’t changed is the sense of camaraderie and fellowship that we are able to instantly rekindle on every trip we’ve taken over the years.