Welcome to the first-ever Throwback Thursday post on A Couple Takes On MS, where we repost some of our favorite essays over the past 14 years since we launched our blog. These will post on the last Thursday of each month, and this one seemed appropriate after this event was a topic of discussion last night when we went out to dinner with our friends Amy and Tony and their daughter Abbie. Amy simply asked, “Are you two up for closing the campground again this year? It’s a tradition, right?” Uhhh, maybe? Brrrrrr…..
From October 20, 2018
The same thought crossed both of our minds shortly after midnight as we huddled together shivering under five blankets.
“We won’t die from hypothermia if it only gets down to 34 degrees, will we?”
Jennifer reassured herself that we had keys to the van, and we could just go home where it was warm, while Dan held steadfast to the text he sent his sister, Dawn, five hours earlier:
“To hell with the freeze warning, we’re going camping dammit! :-)”
Apparently camping with Multiple Sclerosis wasn’t challenging enough for us when we previously had ventured out with our Immanuel Lutheran Church family in early September.
After all, at that time of the year we had still-lingering summer temperatures. Plus, we had the safety net of nearly 30 other people to help us if something went terribly wrong during our first-ever camping trip as a couple living with MS.
But on this second camping trip in mid-October, Mother Nature meant business. The National Weather Service had issued a freeze warning the morning of our October outing.
However, we had planned this trip as our church-facilitated weekend concluded nearly a month earlier. We were all set to return to Coldwater Lake Family Park and camp with our friends Amy and Tony and their daughters, Abbie and Sophia.
This county park is beautiful and has handicapped-accessible cabins that worked perfectly for us to make transfers from Jennifer’s wheelchair to the campground-provided cot.
There was mention that it may get a little colder come October. But, quoting our friend Amy, “I love camping in the fall. The crisp autumn air. The warm campfire. The changing, colorful leaves.”
Sounds perfect, right?
Yes, Amy, it truly was absolutely perfect. Even with the nighttime near-freezing temperatures, stubborn wood that took its sweet time catching fire and Dan accidentally locking the keys in our cabin with no ranger on duty.
What a way to end our summer of firsts while living with MS. From our inaugural accessible fishing trip to the first time taking a connecting flight with a wheelchair, we’ve seen what is possible when we refuse to let our disease dictate the kind fun we can have.
MS didn’t limit us. Rather, we pushed our limits despite MS.