Camping al fresco

We went camping in Kings Canyon recently. The weather forecast was for no rain all week so we never bothered setting up the yurt.

The yurt parts lay in a pile next to a tree all week.

So our sleeping quarters were totally al fresco.  We laid down some rugs on the perimeter of our bedding so we wouldn't have to drag forest floor debris into our beds, but other than that slept out in the open.  No mosquitoes so no need for netting.  The air was also very dry so no dew at night and the trees may have helped to keep the dew at bay. The last morning of our stay it was 31 degrees F. But we were toasty thanks to warm bedding.  A tent doesn't really do all that much to keep you warm.

 Our reading room right next to the south fork of the Kings River.

 Our kitchen. Bear box in the background.  Anything that smelled edible had to go in the box.

One night there were a few drops of rain so we rigged some tarps.  But it never rained so we never got to see how good our rigging job actually was. The tarps did keep the drafts down so even though they were open at both ends, they did even out the sleeping temperatures a little.

And on the last day we packed the yurt back on top of the car.  The only downside to not having set up the yurt was that although we didn't need it for shelter from the weather, it is still useful as a changing room and as a place to hang up spare clothes and keep our stuff organized.