The Poop Hole

Every time I went into the tent I thought I was going to be stabbed.

Allow me to provide some context: up until about a year ago, every time I'd gone camping it had been at a normal campsite, with a picnic bench, flat ground for the tent, a safe fire pit, and (most importantly) a bathroom nearby. Now, it was once in a blue moon that you'd find an actual nice bathroom, but that's the least of your concerns when it's three in the morning and you're about to pee your pants.

However, this past year I went camping with my family and my friend's family. My friend's family normally camps out in the woods, at a set camping location, but not a campground. So when they invited my family to join them on their camping trip in Red River Gorge, we were a little bit hesitant. In the end, though, we decided to come along for the ride.

First off, Red River Gorge is so pretty. There are so many great photo ops, and so many fun hiking trails we didn't even have time to try them all. As a matter of fact, a lot of the photos on the blog are actually from our trip to Red River Gorge. When we arrived, we set up camp at this pretty area right next to a creek, just a few minutes hike from the river. As my friend and I struggled to put the tent up, her dad handed her sisters a shovel and told them to find a spot a bit away from the camp.

Back it up. What?

My friend very kindly informed me that they were digging what they called a "poop hole." Basically an outdoor porta-potty. Much to my disdain, that was where we were going to be forced to do our business for the weekend.

I shouldn't hate on the poop hole. It really wasn't that bad- as a matter of fact, it was nicer than some of the campsite bathrooms I'd been in before. However, there was one minor flaw to our pop-up potty. When you had to use the restroom after dark, putting on a headlamp and trekking out into the woods to an unlit tent bathroom was arguably one of the more terrifying experiences in my life.

Seriously, it felt like the start of a horror movie. As the sounds of laughter and the crackling fire faded away, I was almost certain that I was going to unzip the pop-up tent shelter we had concealing the hole only to be greeted by someone waiting for me inside. Or that someone was going to come in while I was still in the bathroom, or that I was going to be mauled by a bear on the way there, or... basically think of the worst possible scenario and it probably crossed my mind at some point that weekend.

It all went by without a hitch, so I have no reason to complain, but when I saw that there was an actual restroom next to the trail we were about to start on, I took advantage of it. So as a last ditch option- yes, it was fine. But I will never forget the fear instilled in me by The Poop Hole.

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