Ever slept under the stars? I once had a few beers while visiting my sister, a groundskeeper at the

[applegrove]

Chateau Lake Louise. I ended up sleeping on the front lawn of the hotel. It was gorgeous waking up there. It was gorgeous under the stars.

[HopeHoops]

1. Many times. Some intentional, some not. Either way, the skeeters LOVE when you do that!

[Aristus]

2. All the time when I was in the Army.

Tankers, like all other combat soldiers, are issued with shelter halves that mate up with that of another trooper in order to create pup tents for sleeping while on field maneuvers. However, I don't know of any tanker who, after graduating from Basic Training, used his shelter half at all out in the field. Tankers sleep on or in their tanks. My favorite spot for sleeping was on the rear deck of the turret; a great place to roll out one's sleeping bag, and fall asleep looking at the stars. And also, when on maneuvers up in Canada, to fall asleep looking at the Northern Lights.

Those are some of my fondest memories of life in the Army.

[Denninmi]

5. One of the very first casualties of the Iraq war was a tank officer from the hometown here.

He was asleep UNDER the tank, and another soldier started it and moved it. It was really sad, he left behind a pregnant wife and 3-4 year old boy. I was a florist then, I did his casket spray and the family pieces.

"The Department of Defense announced today that Marine Major Kevin G. Nave, 36, of Union Lake, Mich., was killed March 26 in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Iraq. Major Nave was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif. The accident is under investigation."

http://cryptome.org/mil-dead-iqw.htm#Calendar March 2003

[Aristus]

8. I can't believe he did that.

One thing we tankers lived by (literally) was never put yourself in a position that could get you run over by the big beast. I mean, if it was protection from small arms or artillery fire while he was sleeping that he wanted, he should have just slept in the tank, rather than under it.

That's a sad story...

[Denninmi]

9. Well, that was what they claimed happened.

I always thought that was kind of weird myself.

[pokerfan]

3. A few times

if the bugs aren't bad. I will usually have a tent set up in case it rains.

[Denninmi]

4. Sure.

Last edited Wed Feb 1, 2012, 08:45 PM - Edit history (2)

I used to camp out on the patio in the lounge chair to watch the Perseid meteorite showers in August, and often would just fall asleep there if the weather was conducive, cool enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay yet warm enough that I wouldn't freeze to death under a blanket or two.

Back when that one comet, name of which I can't remember, was big and bright early in the past decade one March, I did this, and fell asleep on a brisk March night. That was a cold, rude awakening in the wee, wee hours of the morning.

[sakabatou]

6. Yeah, once

I hated the ground I slept on.

[unionworks]

7. There's nothing like it

...if you do it right.

[mia]

10. Twice, both unplanned.

On the beach and in the woods. We fell asleep on the bare ground. It was heavenly.

[mia]

11. Just remembered a third time.

Trip to the Bahamas in a 30 ft. boat under sail. There's nothing like a clear night sky when you're in the middle of the ocean.

[bluedigger]

12. Quite a bit.

I guess my best sleeping outside story is one time when I was training in the National Guard. We hiked up a mountain in the dark, collapsed at the summit, and just rolled out our bags and crashed. Western Maine in the fall. When I woke up at daybreak, my sleeping bag was covered in snow, except for the little hole where my mouth was. It was still snowing, and I have never seen bigger snowflakes, before or since. Some of them were over an inch across as they came down. Very pretty!

[mia]

13. Sounds like a wonderful memory.

The showflakes must have melted in your mouth.
Thanks for sharing this!

[bluedigger]

16. You're welcome.

Sleeping outside in the winter can be pretty fun if you are prepared. Obviously that snow was just a dusting, not a blizzard. I've done it a few times when I knew the weather would be dry.

And then there was the night I spent "under the stars" at the Boston bus terminal...

[UnrepentantLiberal]

19. We climbed half way up Mount Whitney and ice fished once.

It snowed that night. I loved it.

[freshwest]

14. Yeah, camping out in some national forests and parks. Trying to see the stars and meteors without...

Being molested by two-legged and four-legged varmints. Skunks do wander around at night time, and armadillos think your sleeping bag is a great lair. I speak from experience, haha.

Also slept out by the water on the Gulf. Fortunately no mosquitoes where I had a light sleep under the moonlight. Two many variables to bed down very well, those two-legged ones, mainly.

Still want to sleep under the stars in the Hoh rain forest, but it's not likely. Other places around here... Well, we do have cougars and bears.

Your outing sounds great, it's wonderful you found a place without too much light pollution. I used to live in a place where it was dry and I lived high up. So the stars were clear, saw those famous comets coming by very well, but it was out of the question to bed down.

Too many varmints of the eight-legged and unlegged varieties, if you know what I mean.

[madamesilverspurs]

15. Oh, my. Yes!

Growing up in Colorado meant camping trips in the mountains. One summer we found a gorgeous high meadow where we spread out our sleeping bags. Crystal clear sky, and frequent "shooting stars". Adding to the wonder, the looping path of Yuri Gagarin's spacecraft. It was spectacular in the extreme.

[handmade34]

17. many times...

wonderful...

[Joe Shlabotnik]

18. Many a time. Had sex under the stars often, and lots of great bon-fire gatherings

with friends. I hate living in suburbia now! When I had 2 acres in rural Niagara on the Lake, the rules went out the window and it was productive, peaceful, great times. I recently saw my old house up for sale (foreclosed, on the guy that bought it from me), and my heart breaks, and yearns to go back, if only I was able.