I did it!! I slept outside last night. And no animals ate me or even woke me up to a man vs. beast duel.

I read backpacking.net threads until I got so tired that I just fell asleep. It was GREAT! I woke up at 2:00 a.m. and was like, "I'm doing it!!" and then I woke up again in the morning light. I'd forgotten how great it is to wake up from the dawn of morning, instead of from an obnoxious alarm tone! My phone was set for 5:52 a.m., but I woke up naturally somewhere between 5:30 and then.

I love sleeping outdoors SO MUCH! This is going to be my year that I finally get off the back lawn and go somewhere a little less... suburban.

You guys are great. And so is sleeping with a mat! Big difference from last fall, having the mat, even though it is very thin.