Day 1 Hammock Camping Caught in South Georgia Downpour | Swimming & Cooking in the storm

In short: I should have listened to the forecast, but I did not, and we got caught in the rain. This is a South Georgia river trip where the storm beat us to camp. We found a sandbar on a curve, raced two hammocks under one tarp, and got it up just as the big drops started falling. Then we cooked a hot supper under cover while it poured. Rain and all, it turned into a good night.

Beating the storm to camp

We were looking for a spot when the sky made the decision for us. Some leaning trees, a sandbar on the curve, and a pine tree, and I called it. We had to get in fast because it looked like it was about to let go. I told Tina we would run two hammocks under one tarp between that tree and that tree, and the wind was already coming in. I did not even record us setting up because the rain came in before we found the good sandbar. We just got the tarp up quick.

That is the lesson right there. When the weather turns on you, shelter comes first. You do not fool with anything else until you are under cover. We got that one tarp strung and both hammocks under it, and by the time it was really coming down we were dry and watching it. Not hot, either. Tina said she was loving the rain, and I told her I think she was lying, but it did feel good.

Cooking teriyaki chicken in the rain

Come suppertime I was going to do it over an open fire, but that meant standing out in the rain to tend it, and I was not going to be standing in the rain. So we pulled out the little portable jet burner and cooked right there under the tarp. Trusty cast iron frying pan, some teriyaki chicken, broccoli, and a cup of rice. A South Georgia cup, I told her. A little salt, some Larry's, because you have got to have Larry's on everything, and a little pepper.

The chicken was pre-seasoned so all I had to do was warm it back up. A little oil in the cast iron so it would not stick, dump it in, and let it go. We said grace and thanked the Lord for the day and the food, and it was good. Real good. Teriyaki, broccoli, rice, and a skillet on the river. You cannot beat it.

A rainy night is not a bad night

Once we were set up under the tarps the rain was not bad at all. Good breeze coming through, natural rain sounds all night, no Alexa needed. The only thing it cost us was a little catfishing that evening, and there will be another night for that. We had an awesome supper, stayed dry, and turned in early listening to it come down. That is the whole point. Rain does not ruin a trip. Being unready for it does.

Questions about camping in the rain

Can you cook in the rain while camping?

Yes, and it does not have to be miserable. Come suppertime on this trip I could have cooked over an open fire, but that meant standing out in the rain to tend it, and I was not doing that. Instead we pulled out a small portable jet burner and cooked right there under the tarp, dry the whole time. We used a trusty cast iron frying pan with a little oil so nothing would stick, teriyaki chicken that was already pre-seasoned so all I had to do was warm it back up, broccoli, and a cup of rice, a South Georgia cup as I told Tina. A little salt, some Larry's because you have got to have Larry's on everything, and a little pepper finished it off. We said grace, thanked the Lord for the day and the food, and ate a real good supper while the storm poured outside the tarp. A stove and cover beat an open fire every time in weather like that.

Should you cancel a trip when rain is in the forecast?

No, not if you are set up for it. Rain is not the enemy on a trip, being unprepared is. We watched the forecast and went anyway, and it turned into one of the better nights we have had. A good tarp, a small stove, and the sense to make camp before the storm actually hits turns a rainy night into a comfortable one, sometimes even better than a hot, still one. Once we were dry under the tarp, the rain brought a good breeze and natural sound all night, no music needed, nothing artificial about it. The only real cost was missing a little catfishing that evening, and there is always another night for that. We stayed dry, ate a hot supper, and turned in early listening to it come down outside. That is the real lesson from this trip. Rain does not ruin a night in the woods. Showing up without a plan for it does.