A New day…

It’s almost the end of August, and it feels like the clock is ticking faster towards winter. While we have had some days higher than 33c, we have also had days as low as 16c this summer, some nights as low as 3c or lower. And definitely more rain than we wanted or expected.

Over the last two weeks we’ve had forecasted rain sporadically, but it’s turned out to be a brief shower, barely settling or wetting the ground, and this was the window of opportunity we’d been waiting for to move the camper to its more permanent home.

So much rested on this move. Firstly, it’s been the goal the entire 20 months of this journey, and, in an ideal world, would have happened back in January of 2024. But snow, overgrowth and a myriad of other things prevented that. Our initial naive plans had to be put aside and we had to focus on clearing a trail to the spot we wanted to place the camper. That has taken 20 months. Beit because of snow, or overgrowth, or swampy ground.

Keep in mind that we don’t have expensive fancy equipment. We haven’t rented a brush-hog or excavator. We’ve cut it by hand: Grass slasher, battery powered trimmer, chainsaw, machete and hand saws, and just the two of us.

But now it’s done.

Secondly, not having the camper in this spot is what has prevented us from building any form of structure for the winter. Building something to attach to the camper is impossible without the camper.

It’s always been a daunting task moving the camper. Bear in mind that pretty much everything we possess is either in, or stored near, the camper. So, in preparation to move it, we spent days clearing a spot for the “outside” storage, then unpacking the storage (there were a LOT is snakes under the tarp), and painstakingly, one by one, moving every tote and item Into the new space.

We have become accustomed to watching the weather reports and forecasts. And the looming heavy rain was a strong motivator. And as that rain moved closer our efforts and resolve grew. Underlying stresses, specifically about the ground being dry enough to not sink the truck and camper and get them stuck, or the truck not handling the final tow, foremost in our minds.

With as much secured as possible, some determination and perhaps a bit of a knot in our stomachs, we hooked up the camper, and without much ceremony, drove across the bumpy, far from even trail to park the camper deeper amongst the trees of our forest.

It was Thursday, August 21, 2025. And it was after 6pm when we finally had the truck unhooked and parked back at the road, and the camper secured and levelled, and started hooking back up all the peripherals, such as Starlink, solar panels and so on. 

Since then the gravity and significance of the event has slowly sunk in for us. The gravity of it all. Before, when we were doing a clearing project, we’d pack a bag, carry tools to where we working, a significant distance from the camper. And if we forgot something, it was a trek to return to the camper for one item. That issue is gone.

As we settle in now, if we need something, it’s right here. If we need to sit for a break, the camper is right here. It may sound silly, but to us, these things are huge. In one day, 20 months of heavy, almost unexpected, stressful work is complete. The unwanted burden is gone in an instant.

And in the nick of time too. Late Friday night, thunderstorms rolled in, and as I sit here at 10:30 on Saturday morning, the rain has only just stopped briefly for a few minutes. The ground is soaked. The muddy areas which had been finally dry enough two days ago to let us drive over them have returned to muddy pools overnight.

And yet, for the first time in those 20 months, instead of thoughts like “it’s raining and delaying us again”, I am sitting here listening to the rainfall, staring out of the windows deep into the forest, and simply appreciating the simple joy of rain.