Loud Camping Neighbors and Other Wild Creatures

I didn’t sleep at all the other night, and I’d do it again.

Gaia Kriscak
Human Parts
Published in
6 min readAug 3, 2024

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picture by Clem Onojeghuo on Pexels

My partner and I spent a night in a tent some days ago. We did it because we went to a super cool (and very secret) event in the middle of nowhere, which gave us the opportunity to stay overnight and camp deep into the woods.

We had a lovely time! The place and event were truly beautiful — we’ll never forget it. Another thing we will never forget was the night itself, but for entirely different reasons. Before I continue, you must know that we really aren’t nocturnal animals, at least not anymore.

I love to be the first one to retreat after a night out, and I know that in most cases my partner will be right behind me, already brushing his teeth.

I used to act very differently, though. Who met me in my teens and early twenties knew I’d be the last one to go home — if I went home at all, that is. Moderation really wasn’t my strongest suit, mostly out of fear of missing out and peer pressure. All my friends were party people — I wanted them to like me.

After staying out too long too often though, I realized I was still missing out on something: who I was, and who I am. Now, at the venerable age of 29 (and a half!), I am proud to be a peaceful introvert with moderate…

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Gaia Kriscak
Human Parts

Editor of The Way Home, looking for new writers! I share free nature writing resources here: https://gaiathewayhome.substack.com/ https://linktr.ee/GaiaKriscak