This was been the longest camping season that I’ve done, almost 7 months. It was also the most profitable, because my wage went up and so did my summer hours. And I was focused on saving money. That’ll help me live more comfortably and be able to save more for retirement. But I still prefer only working 5, or 5 and a half months out of the year, and having more free time to travel. Be that as it may, I’m grateful for this job. So, how were things this year?
First off, I was rather surprised to get the call to come back this season. My previous employer had sold his company and the new owner didn’t want to run the campgrounds in this area of California. So a different company took over and luckily for me, hired my old supervisor Tori who recommended finding out if I wanted to return to my previous position. I received the recruiting call the day after I returned from my Mexico vacation. Perfect timing, as if it was meant to be! It wasn’t a hard decision for me to say yes, since I love being here.
I arrived to the campground on April 5th, about 5-6 weeks earlier than previous years. The new company wanted to see if it was profitable to extend the camping season on both ends. Hence, the early start. I was given 10 days to get both campgrounds ready for campers by April 15. That wasn’t enough, especially because my beginning hours were only 29 hours per week. I got the majority of the work done, but it took a couple more weeks after the season started before everything was caught up fully. The first few nights were below 20°F but the days were mostly sunny and semi-warm. There were a few rainy days in April and May that provided some variety, a couple heavy rainstorms with lightning, and even 10 inches of snow on one weekend. The rain, snow, and cold bothered the campers more than me. Of course, I have a van to take shelter in, and the campers mostly had tents.
The main campground rarely was full until Memorial Day holiday weekend. During the weekdays, there were just scattered campers and some nights I was by myself. Campers were even more sparse at the auxiliary campground. It was kinda nice to ease into the season. In previous years, opening weekend was at Memorial Day, so the season would start with a bang. Campfires were allowed for the first 6 weeks, which always makes the campers happy. But that gives me more work, selling firewood and cleaning out the fire pits. People tend to stay up much later, when they can have fires, and that usually means more noise. I’m indifferent to whether campfires are allowed, since I rarely do one.
Mosquitoes were bad early in the season. Not as bad as in Alaska, but bad enough. I bought a screen tent to put over the picnic table, so I could eat in peace. The tent was big enough that my camp chair fit in there, too. That meant much of my non-work time was spent in there or in my van, for the first 2-3 months. After that, the skeeters abated and I could be wherever I wanted while eating or reading. Campers still complained about getting bit, but they didn’t bother me much.
Because of the big fire two years ago, there were many changes to the animal and insect populations. Usually I’d see scads of Ladybugs, sometimes completely covering the big boulders by the river. Not many this year! I believe they normally came from the swamp that is a half mile up a canyon from the campground. But the shade trees died in that area and the swamp is almost dried up. Much less bees, too, though a yellow jacket nest showed up in my campsite late in the season. I got stung bad one time. No biting flies this year. Generally they are bad for 2-3 weeks of the year and like to bite people on the back of their calves. Way more butterflies this year, which was cool to see. Face flies (fleas?) lasted all season, sometimes getting pretty annoying. Those try to get into your eyes mostly, but also the ears and nose. I saw very few ants, but some did hang out around my picnic table for a couple months.
Very few mice were around this year, probably because of a higher population of rattlesnakes. I did set a couple traps by my tent that killed 2 mice. Didn’t see many other types of snakes; like garter, king, or rubber boas. I did have to remove rattlesnakes from the campground twice, which is always a bit worrisome. Snakes tend to creep me out. I didn’t see a single mountain lion this year, when usually I see a few. There were some mountain lion tracks in the campgrounds, by the roads, and on the forest trails; so they are still around.
Many more deer hanging around, probably because of so much burned forest and drought conditions. There is way more grass in people’s yards and in the big meadow at the center of town. I enjoy watching them and they are almost tame. Even petted one several times. Lots more bears, too. They didn’t hang out much at the campgrounds in the beginning of the season. They would just wander through one in awhile, usually after dark, and sniff around the garbage cans. In late May, more campers came and many were being dumb with their food. Then the bears started coming by day and night, and I had to warn the campers. Finally the bears stopped coming by in September and there was peace again. Lots more foxes, coyotes, squirrels, and bobcats were seen this year, too.
This season had a different feel to it, in several ways. It was obviously longer, by a month and a half. Time started dragging a little in the last month I was there. But we had less campers than in previous years, mostly at the auxiliary campground. I’m guessing 75-80% of average. Camping prices went up $4 per night to $32. Gas expense is much higher to drive up the mountain. Inflation is hurting most people. Campfires were banned by Memorial Day weekend. And it’s not as attractive with so much of the forest having been burnt 2 years ago. So I had less work to do. I had decided at the start that I would relax more, taking time to read and hike. I still got my work done and did it well, but didn’t create extra work to stay busy. Ended up with just the right balance of work, relaxation, and free time. The only things I could’ve done better on were, less time online and more dedication to exercising. There’s room for improvement on those, next season. Less of the old-timers showed up this year. I missed seeing familiar faces, though a few did return. There were more Hispanics, Filipinos, and even a few blacks. Most were well-behaved, though I did have to get up 12-15 nights to remind campers that 10 pm is quiet time.
The weather was comfortable until September, in fact was a little cooler and slightly wetter than past years. The typical summer day was in the lower eighties during days, and 55-62° for nights. But then we had 2-3 weeks of really hot weather, up to 98°F one day! That’s hot for being a mile high in elevation! Thankfully it was soon over with and fall temps arrived.
I drove less than usual this summer. Not just because of high gas prices, though that influenced me some. I was more of a homebody at the campground. I didn’t hike far, mostly keeping my hikes at 2 hours long or under. The Nelson Trail and Oso Trail both take 2 hours to complete. Bear Creek Trail can take much longer, but I didn’t complete it this year, just doing part. I read more books, probably close to 80-100. My conversations with campers were shorter, except for really interesting folks. A local cabin owner gave me the password to his wifi, and I spent more time online than I should’ve. The local restaurants have wifi, too, that I used occasionally. Internet addiction is real and I need to be careful not to allow myself to get there. In past seasons, I often spent my weekends at Dome Rock where there is a phone signal. But I only went there 6-8 times this year, since online access was a 5 minute walk away from the campground. Lake Isabella is almost 3 hours away one-way and I went there just one time this year. Usually I go 3-4 times. Porterville is 70-80 minutes away, but I only went there once a month to get groceries and gas.
In short, it was an easy, relaxing season; so I plan to return again next year and hope for the same. When one lives in their vehicle like I do, it’s a big thing to have a safe place to park each night. I can easily live on what I earn and save there, for the whole year. I’m not taking the job for granted and do appreciate having it. I have written before about all the advantages of camphosting where I do and do need to remember to be grateful. It is almost Thanksgiving time, so just a reminder to myself.
iggyvandweller 