As we approached the entrance to Lake Arrowhead State Park, I looked around at the laughing and smiling faces of my three friends. My stomach drops and I begin to feel uneasy. I tried not to show how nervous I was, this was my first camping trip. I try reassuring myself by thinking, “we’re only here for one night, we’re sleeping in the car, I brought my knife just in case.” I wasn’t afraid of the outdoors growing up, most likely because I didn’t have to sleep in it.

There is a fee to camp overnight at Lake Arrowhead, a simple campsite with a picnic table and parking spot is $10 and a campsite with water and electric hook-ups are $20.

We drove around the park looking at the different types of campsites and activities. Even though I was afraid of sleeping outdoors only for one night, I was disappointed that we weren’t staying longer. The park had so much to offer. I imagine it would take at least a week to do them all, the options include: swimming in the lake, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, boating and water skiing to name a few.

As we surveyed the park I also noticed other campers, families in RVs, truck campers, pop up campers, travel trailers, and traditional tents. We drove through twice trying to find a spot for ourselves, the crowds refraining since the lake filled with water this past spring.

Keith Gauthiek, park superintendent, said, “It has been night and day as opposed to during the drought and post-drought, we’ve had a dramatic increase in visitation.”

We brought a few supplies with us, including: a folding table, a canopy, four chairs, a ton of food and snacks, and a cooler with drinks. My first concern was what would we be eating for dinner. Before I left my apartment I stashed a sandwich and a couple Pop-Tarts in my bag. I didn’t notice the three boxes of firewood, lighter fluid, matches and the fire-pit/grill. I asked the group what the plan was and they said we would be roasting sausages, making s’mores, chips, salsa, and cinnamon toast crunch for breakfast in the morning. To make matters worse I saw no foil to put on the grill. Apparently we would be acting like “real campers” and using sticks to roast our sausages and marshmallows over the fire.

After we set up our campsite, we walked to the lake. There were at least 12 boats and 30 fisherman, people riding jet ski’s, and paddling canoes. The park appeared to be filling up for the weekend.

Gauthiek said, “Before the drought we had only a few sites open as compared to now, where we are just about full every weekend.”

As the sun began to go down we walked back to our campsite. We spent the rest of the night becoming grill masters at roasting sausages and s’mores, dancing around the fire, and occasionally running and hiding in the car from strange noises we heard coming from the bushes.

And I can’t forget to mention the restrooms that were home to 2-inch brown spiders. After being scared by just the sight of one as I left the bathroom stall, I quickly washed my hands in the scolding hot water and decided to dry my hands on my jeans as I ran back to the group.

I was the first to wake up the next morning, as I lay there in the front seat watching the sunrise. I breathed in the crisp morning air coming in from the windows and the sunroof. I glanced around at my friends all still asleep in the car. I thought about all the laughs we shared throughout the night over what could be hiding in the bushes, how to keep the firing going, and if we would be attacked while we slept by coyotes. After everyone else woke up we lazily cleaned up our campsite and packed the car before saying goodbye to Lake Arrowhead.

I hope to do it all again soon and for longer than just one night.