Well it wasn’t a “Great Fire” really, but it was a pretty bad accident. All of my camos were cremated with the rest of the trash in the back of my husband’s truck. I did what any hunter would do,  I dropped down in the middle of the floor and cried for a good 30 minutes before I could finally say something reasonable and relatively close to a complete sentence. At first, I was mad, no, I was irate. “How could someone have been so stupid to throw a bag of clothes in the back of the truck in the first place?” (It was not my husband who put the bag in the truck) Then the sadness kicked in. “The camos that I killed my first deer in were in there, as well as the bloodstain that was left behind.” Then the panic, and I must say the feeling that overcame me was more horrific than the first two emotions that I felt. “How am I going to afford to replace those?” Maybe I over-reacted to the whole situation. I mean they were replaceable, just clothes really. However, I’m quite sentimental about these things, and I had really planned on going hunting that evening. I searched my car and the entire house and found a camo tee, a pair of camo bibs, a fleece vest, my windbreaker, my new Under Armour long sleeve, and two hats. With the weatherman calling for rain and cold weather in the near future, I knew I needed to get somewhere quick to at least get some waterproof pants and a long sleeve just to get me through the next couple weeks. Obviously, I would still need a coat and warmer pants for later in the season, but I could hold out until I got some money saved up and get those. Luckily, the husband came through and we headed out to buy some pants at the local Big R store. They by no means have a great selection of women’s clothing, but I did manage to find some Under Armour waterproof pants and another Under Armour long sleeve. It wasn’t exactly what I had planned on purchasing, but I needed something quick. We called it my birthday present and headed home feeling a little less depressed than when the journey started.

I went hunting that night. I didn’t see a single deer the entire night, so I was forced to sit in my stand, bored. When I’m bored, I think. All I could think about was what had burnt. I fought the sentimental thoughts and quickly realized that they were in fact, just clothes. I almost felt a bit of relief when I started thinking about washing all of my camos before season, and now all of my camos can be done in one washer load. I won’t have to spend 30 minutes digging through a huge box just to find another glove or shirt. Really, all I need is a warm coat and I will be set. My memories of hunts in those close are still as vivid as the day I wore them. I’m still the same person without the clothes that I was before. Honestly, the clothes burning was a huge reality check. I don’t need a ton of gear to love hunting and being outdoors. I just need to remember how far I’ve come since I started and how many memories have yet to be made.