A tattered coat upon a stick

I'm painfully aware of the mortality of my tent, which is 19 years old this summer. It companion of long years, the therm-a-rest, went the way of all flesh recently, and the tent itself is looking weary.

Lovely campsite in Catoctin Mountain National Park...only a couple of kilometres from Camp David, the president's retreat, which is discreetly marked with a sign that says "Camp 3 is closed." We weren't fooled.