Kind Like Katey

We’re leaving in a couple of days to go camping in South Carolina with my mom and uncle,

My Aunt Sandy and Uncle Danny are even coming down from New York to join us, so I’m really looking forward to spending some time with family.

And as I’ve been getting ready for this trip, I’ve found myself reminiscing about some of our past camping adventures.

Especially the last time we went camping in South Carolina together.

Let’s just say things got a little interesting.

And by interesting, I mean we got trapped in a campground by a fucking hurricane.

You’d think we’d have learned our lesson.

Apparently not. 😂

But let me back up a little.

It was September 2024, and we were headed to Lake Greenwood in South Carolina for what was supposed to be a relaxing camping trip.

Now, if you read my story about the beach trip where Stacy and I tried to outrun a hurricane, you might already be laughing.

Because yes.

Another camping trip. Another great campground. Another fucking hurricane.

Except this time, we didn’t get out in time.

The trip started like pretty much every other camping adventure. We brought the golf cart because riding around the campground is half the fun. We brought the kayak because we love being on the water. And, of course, we brought Honey.

We’d only had Honey for about a year at that point, and while she was doing pretty well, her listening skills were still… questionable.

But she was doing good, so we decided to let her off the leash while we were walking through the woods.

Why not?

Well, I’ll tell you why not.

A DEER.

That dog spotted a deer and took off like she’d been training for this moment her entire life.

And that bitch was GONE.

We were in the middle of the damn woods, and for about 30 minutes, we couldn’t find her.

I was freaking out.

I genuinely thought we’d lost our dog forever. We were calling for her, searching everywhere, and all I could think about was how we were going to find her in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully, we finally did.

And you better believe I wasn’t letting her off that leash again anytime soon.

That trip was also when we discovered just how much Honey loves the water.

She’d jump in after a stick, bring it back, and immediately want us to throw it again.

Over and over and over.

Then she’d come flying out of the water, get the zoomies, and shake herself all over us.

She was having the time of her life.

And honestly, so were we.

We were camping with family, enjoying the lake, riding around on the golf cart, and just having a great time.

Meanwhile, there was this little thing called Hurricane Helene making its way toward us.

But honestly, who the fuck expects a hurricane to come through the middle of South Carolina and North Carolina?

Hurricanes happen at the coast!

At least that’s what we thought.

We were at Lake Greenwood, for crying out loud. We weren’t sitting on the beach watching waves crash over the dunes.

We were inland.

What could possibly happen?

Famous last words.

We’d been keeping an eye on the news, but we weren’t particularly worried.

Then a park ranger came around and told everyone the campground had to be evacuated the next morning because of the hurricane.

A lot of people decided not to wait. They packed up and left that night.

We did not.

We’d already been drinking, and we certainly weren’t going to hook up a camper and drive in the dark after drinking.

So we decided we’d stay the night and leave first thing in the morning.

At the time, it seemed reasonable enough.

Looking back?

What the actual fuck were we thinking?

That was hands down the scariest night I have ever spent in a camper.

I’m not even sure I slept.

The wind was howling. The rain was pounding. And every single little branch that hit the camper sounded like an entire tree coming down.

THUNK.

“Stacy! What was that?”

Another noise.

THUNK.

“What the hell was THAT?”

Poor Stacy.

I’m pretty sure I kept that man awake all damn night.

Every little sound had me convinced a tree was about to come crashing through the roof.

And when you’re lying in a camper in the middle of a hurricane, surrounded by trees, you become painfully aware that you’re basically sleeping inside a giant aluminum box.

Not exactly comforting.

I kept listening to the wind, waiting for the next noise, wondering if we’d made a terrible mistake.

Spoiler alert.

We had.

When morning finally came, we stepped outside and couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

The campground was a wreck.

Trees were down everywhere. Branches and debris were scattered all over the place.

Some of the people who had been camping in tents had actually spent the night in the bathrooms to get away from the storm. See? We weren’t the only dumbasses who decided to stick around.

And after seeing the damage, I understood why.

We walked around looking at everything, trying to take it all in.

Massive trees had fallen. Some were blocking roads, and others had come down dangerously close to campsites.

It was unbelievable.

And that’s when we realized something else.

We weren’t going anywhere.

We were literally trapped inside the campground.

There were so many trees down that the roads were blocked, and the park rangers had to start cutting paths just so people could get out.

So much for leaving first thing in the morning.

We had no power, no way out, and absolutely no idea how long we’d be there.

But you know what we did have?

Coffee.

Well, eventually. 😂

Because apparently my uncle was determined to make coffee that morning, even if it killed him.

He had an outlet in the back of his truck.

I’m sorry.

WHAT?

You can make coffee from your truck?!

I had never heard of such a thing!

Now, if I remember correctly, the truck kept tripping the outlet every time he tried to get the coffee maker going.

But did that stop him?

Absolutely fucking not.

That man was determined to get his coffee.

Here we were, stranded in a campground after a hurricane, surrounded by fallen trees, with no electricity, and my uncle was out there fighting with a coffee maker and his truck.

And honestly, I respected the dedication. 😂

I’m pretty sure that was the most hard-earned cup of coffee anyone had that morning.

We spent the day walking around, looking at the destruction, and waiting for the rangers to clear enough trees for us to leave.

But there was so much damage that we ended up spending another night there.

No power.

No way out.

Just us, my mom, my uncle, Honey, and a campground full of people waiting to get home.

Eventually, the rangers managed to clear enough of a path for everyone to start leaving.

And that’s when the next adventure began.

The drive home.

My mom and uncle followed us, and let me tell you, that drive was something I will never forget.

I took so many pictures along the way because I had never seen anything like it.

Trees were down everywhere.

Power lines were down. Roads were closed. Entire areas were without electricity.

And the roads we had to take?

Good Lord.

Remember, we were pulling a camper.

We couldn’t exactly squeeze through just anywhere.

There were roads closed, lanes blocked by debris, and some seriously narrow little back roads we had to navigate just to find a way home.

I’m talking about those tiny-ass roads where you’re looking out the window thinking, there is no way in hell we’re fitting through here.

And somehow, Stacy managed to get us through.

Meanwhile, my mom and uncle were following behind us through the same mess.

Every time we came across another blocked road, we had to figure out another way around.

And then there was the gas situation.

Nothing was open.

We drove for miles without seeing an open gas station.

No electricity meant no gas pumps, and there was no telling when we’d find somewhere to fill up.

Thank God we’d filled our tanks the day before the hurricane.

Seriously.

That one decision probably saved us a whole lot of trouble.

As we drove, I just kept taking pictures.

The destruction seemed to go on forever.

And that’s when our crazy camping adventure stopped being quite so funny.

We started hearing about what had happened in Asheville and the surrounding communities in western North Carolina.

The devastation was unimaginable.

Homes and businesses destroyed. Roads washed away. Entire communities cut off.

People had lost everything.

Some had lost people they loved.

And suddenly, our experience felt very different.

We’d been scared. We’d been stranded. We’d spent a night without power and had a hell of a time getting home.

But we still had our camper.

We still had our vehicles.

And most importantly, we still had each other.

We were going home.

So many people affected by Hurricane Helene couldn’t say the same.

Even two years later, some communities are still trying to recover.

I look back at that trip with such mixed emotions.

There were so many wonderful memories.

Camping with my mom and uncle.

Riding around on the golf cart.

Enjoying the lake.

Honey chasing a damn deer through the woods and scaring the absolute shit out of me.

Discovering she was apparently part fish.

My uncle making coffee from the back of his truck like some kind of camping magician.

And poor Stacy trying to sleep while I kept asking, “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

We laughed. We had fun. We made memories.

And somehow, we survived a hurricane in a camper.

But I’ll never forget what everything looked like when we finally drove out of that campground.

The fallen trees. The blocked roads. The places without power. The destruction that seemed to go on forever.

It was an adventure for us.

For so many others, it was a tragedy that changed their lives forever.

And I think that’s what sticks with me the most.

We went camping expecting a few days of fun with family, and we came home with a completely different understanding of just how powerful Mother Nature can be.

Who would’ve thought a hurricane could cause that much destruction so far inland?

Apparently, hurricanes don’t give a shit where we think they’re supposed to go.

But that’s the thing about making memories.

Sometimes the trips that don’t go according to plan are the ones you end up talking about for years.

I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together, even if I could’ve done without the terrifying night and the obstacle course we had to drive through to get home.

And here we are, two years later, getting ready to load up the camper and head right back to South Carolina.

With my mom and uncle.

Again.

And this time, my aunt and uncle are coming all the way down from New York to join us.

Not the same campground, thankfully, but close enough to the same time of year that I can’t help but laugh.

I mean, seriously.

What are the odds?

I’m looking forward to spending time with family, making more memories, and hopefully coming home with a few new stories to tell.

Preferably ones that don’t involve fallen trees, blocked roads, or emergency evacuations.

And if a park ranger comes around talking about a hurricane?

You can bet your ass we’re packing up early this time. 😂

Until the next adventure…

Be kind. You never know what storms someone else is weathering.

Kind Like Katey