mainsail and jib

on wednesday when i arrived at camp i got immediately to putting up my main tarp shelter, the one that keeps the rain off, the one where i can stand up easily and tend to whatever business i'm doing with my gear. on the designated sites you often don't have so much of f choice about where you put your shelters; the fire can only be made in the firepit and you can only tie up your ridgeline where there are trees.

in summer you care less if your shelters are close to the fire, but cold weather demands you be more disciplined.

i string one ridgeline for that main shelter and put two tarps over it, with over lap at the top so water runs off and not through. when wind comes up, though, that thing becomes a giant kite and you then have to figure how to make ties that hold it up so you can be under it, but hold it DOWN when the wind blows.

after that, i discovered that the warm spot on the site was between the fire and the blowdown, and i decided to string up a second tarp shelter just to reflect heat and serve as a windbreak so i could sit near the fire and be warm.

that first windy morning i felt like i was trimming sails, running line and hauling the tarps in against the wind.