Welcome to Willamette

“Why is my leg wet?”

This was my first thought as I awoke in the middle of the night on day five of our weeklong Take a Break trip. I rustled around inside the sleeping bag cocoon I had constructed to protect me from the rain and freezing temperatures outside my tent. That was when I discovered a large wet spot inside my bag.

A glance at my Indiglo watch revealed the time, just after 4 a.m. I was slightly panicked as I tried to emerge from my sleepy haze — why was I wet? Hours earlier I had listened to showers pounding my canvas rain fly outside as I drifted to sleep. But that was supposed to be outside only. I thought I was safe from the elements.

I finally got the courage to pull an arm out of the cocoon and feel the bottom of my tent. Pushing down on the nylon was like patting the top of a waterbed — water had pooled beneath my tent and soaked through multiple layers before reaching my skin. Anyone who has tent camped will tell you the thought of having to get out of your tent in the night, especially in cold weather, is like going to the dentist to get a tooth pulled — you know you must do it, but the dread makes you put it off as long as possible. I had no choice — I was getting wetter by the minute. I took my damp sleeping bag outside and into one of our 12-person vans, where I sprawled across a bench seat, a chilly but dry respite for another hour’s restless sleep.

Did I mention that this fun-filled pre-dawn experience was on my birthday?

I probably shouldn’t start my story with this anecdote, because by now you’re thinking Take a Break sounds like a positively miserable experience. But despite — and even partly because of — this incident, TaB was one of the most wonderful journeys I’ve taken in recent years.