The Importance of a Sturdy Tent
As a child, I had opportunity to go camping any number of times with my parents. It was almost always fun. We were usually comfortable, almost always dry and warm, but sometimes we had issues with the wildlife. This is where we found having the strongest tents made a difference.
When I was about five, we stayed at a mountain campsite that had a community goat. I know – why a goat? We never learned. But we did learn that goats enjoy people and want to be with them. Even overnight. Mostly we learned that by the goat succeeding in ramming its way into our tent.
My father, being an intelligent man, decided to lead the goat up the mountain so he could run back down and beat it into the tent. This is of course a mountain goat. To speed his re-entry to the tent he left the flap open. Up the mountain went he and the goat. Down the mountain came the goat.
I’m happy to report that Dad made it back eventually and none the worse for wear. But not before the goat got comfortably bedded down where Dad was supposed to be, blanket and all. And the next year we went out and purchased a significantly sturdier tent. With no goats.
