My friend Francine, in response to how she’d spent her birthday, sent some amazing photos of camping alone.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I spent the weekend camping in the mountains. I stayed at a campground, but was alone at my campsite. Here’s my sweet little set-up. Small green tent on the right is my sleeping tent. Big blue one is the “Salon.”

The Salon, prepped for relaxation! Thought I might do some hiking, but nope – I just chilled. Ate, napped, read & tried out some of the camping gear I recently purchased.

Birthday night dinner: turkey & gouda on pumpernickel, with champagne.

Have you done any camping recently?

~ Francine, Solo Camper

…all I could tell her about in return was this trip, and two other invitations I recently missed out on, one to Glacier National Park.

I called her photos “amazing” out of awe over— for her use only — she’d set up a second tent as her Salon, gone to this much trouble to celebrate, and planned out such an intricate (well-deserved) trip for one. (Also, maybe a combination between a little bit of FOMO, a flashback to Scooter-Man, and a few thoughts on other kinds of “heading out alone.”)

Campfire Tales applauds her inspiring adventure, and next post, we will share a bit about that new equipment she purchased.