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Failing to plan is planning to fail. I heard that somewhere and I suppose it has some truth to it.

It’s easy to say ‘tomorrow I’ll go to sitting bull falls’. It’s easy to say I’ll get up and do it early too. What is less easy is getting up early (well that was easy) breaking down a small camp (well that was easy too) driving into town for some quick supplies (well that was easy too, ten one gram prerolls for six a piece) and stopping at the Guadeloupe Forest Range District Office (well, that was easy too.)

Wait, I did all that I planned.. what’s the problem?

It’s Sunday. I didn’t know it was Sunday.  The office is closed on Sunday, rightly so.

That really put a stop in my day. I had plans, I thought. Yet they all seemed to fall apart there as I sat in the parking lot.  It took me a while to regroup.  I really didn’t want to head into the forest without a printed MVUM (motor vehicle use map) and without talking to a ranger about my plans.

Sitting Bull Falls is the one recreation area within the forest, yet you can’t camp directly there.  Which means, it’s a day trip. From where I sat at the range office, just south of Carlsbad, I was an hour and twenty minutes from the falls. It was eleven am. I had two gallons of water with me and three quarters of tank of gas. And importantly, I was already exhausted.

I didn’t want to walk to my limits, I wanted to sit and recover. I also didn’t want to change my plans- I said I would see waterfalls, I wanted to see waterfalls.  Yet I also wanted to see waterfalls on a day I could walk around them and enjoy them to the full extent. Without having to worry about cutting myself short on time to find a campsite (in a new location, with no map) and setup.

I started to hear a TLC song in my head, don’t go chasing waterfalls.  Ugh, I hate changing plans. I don’t deal with it well.

I read the signs on their door, fire warnings, lack of water warnings. I kept hearing the song.

Finally, I left. To the north, back to Carlsbad. Burger King first, I was hungry already. It was so cold in there I couldn’t barely eat.

I wanted to get somewhere to set my tent up. Not the way it was, yet a way I’d been thinking about the last two weeks. So I did. I came back to Brantley lake primitive area. I was gone for a day.. kinda.  We’ll see what happens when the rangers go around in the morning. I am in a new spot this time, and with a different looking tent.

More I could type, yet I am tired.  I’m glad I didn’t try to do any more.  I did time lapse the setup- a very boring fifteen minute film of a three hour process.  I couldn’t even watch it through. Maybe I’ll upload it tomorrow.

Tired, nine sixteen. I’m going to go to sleep now, sunrise comes early.

Time to rest.

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