the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a secon

I am familiar with camping. I've done it many times before with my husband. I've camped in 100 degree weather and I've camped when there's been snow on the ground. I'm not a novice, but I've never had to pack alone. I decided to go to a Unity Festival with a group of friends from my women's spiritual circle. It was up to me to remember to pack everything I needed to take with me.

It was the middle of May and it was warm outside. In fact, it was 80 degrees and sunny when I left home. I know how hard the ground can be so I took an air mattress. We would be sleeping in a cabin that looked like a human-sized bird house-no running water or modern conveniences, but at least a substantial shelter from wind or rain.

Since I was going to be sleeping indoors, I thought perhaps my indoor bed covering would be nice to take along-a little something from home to cheer up the dreary cabin. I arrived before the other girls in my group so I pumped up my air mattress and dressed it with sheets and comforter. It looked nice.

After dancing around the campfire to the beat of Native American and African drums for several hours, I was not cold even though the temperature had dropped quite a bit since the sun went down. I went to our cabin when time for sleeping, changed into my flannel pajamas and crawled into my makeshift bed. I immediately felt the coolness of the air mattress but I thought I would get warm once my body temperature was locked in between the sheets. I was wrong; oh, so wrong.

With my head completely under the covers, I kept getting colder and colder until I was shivering and shaking. The air mattress was exactly the same temperature as the air in the cabin-about 40 degrees! As the night wore on the mattress continued to suck the warmth right out of my body and refrigerate me from head to toe.

I thought of getting up from the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a second

sunny when I left home. I know how hard the ground can be so I took an air mattress. We would be sleeping in a cabin that looked like a human-sized bird house-no running water or modern conveniences, but at least a substantial shelter from wind or rain.

Since I was going to be sleeping indoors, I thought perhaps my indoor bed covering would be nice to take along-a little something from home to cheer up the dreary cabin. I arrived before the other girls in my group so I pumped up my air mattress and dressed it with sheets and comforter. It looked nice.

After dancing around the campfire to the beat of Native American and African drums for several hours, I was not cold even though the temperature had dropped quite a bit since the sun went down. I went to our cabin when time for sleeping, changed into my flannel pajamas and crawled into my makeshift bed. I immediately felt the coolness of the air mattress but I thought I would get warm once my body temperature was locked in between the sheets. I was wrong; oh, so wrong.

With my head completely under the covers, I kept getting colder and colder until I was shivering and shaking. The air mattress was exactly the same temperature as the air in the cabin-about 40 degrees! As the night wore on the mattress continued to suck the warmth right out of my body and refrigerate me from head to toe.

I thought of getting up from the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a secon

group so I pumped up my air mattress and dressed it with sheets and comforter. It looked nice.

After dancing around the campfire to the beat of Native American and African drums for several hours, I was not cold even though the temperature had dropped quite a bit since the sun went down. I went to our cabin when time for sleeping, changed into my flannel pajamas and crawled into my makeshift bed. I immediately felt the coolness of the air mattress but I thought I would get warm once my body temperature was locked in between the sheets. I was wrong; oh, so wrong.

With my head completely under the covers, I kept getting colder and colder until I was shivering and shaking. The air mattress was exactly the same temperature as the air in the cabin-about 40 degrees! As the night wore on the mattress continued to suck the warmth right out of my body and refrigerate me from head to toe.

I thought of getting up from the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a secon

ht I would get warm once my body temperature was locked in between the sheets. I was wrong; oh, so wrong.

With my head completely under the covers, I kept getting colder and colder until I was shivering and shaking. The air mattress was exactly the same temperature as the air in the cabin-about 40 degrees! As the night wore on the mattress continued to suck the warmth right out of my body and refrigerate me from head to toe.

I thought of getting up from the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a secon

the air mattress and going to my car. I could turn on the heater and thaw out, but I knew I couldn't run it all night. I thought of trying the mattress that was provided in the cabin, but the thoughts of sleeping on a musty plastic camp mattress that had no doubt been used as a bathroom for some little camper who wet the bed, I couldn't see a benefit worth taking the covers off even for a moment.

I was awake all night. Needless to say, I did NOT stay a second night in the woods. I came home feeling like a zombie. I had a headache from lack of sleep.

There were some perks: Drumming circle was great. The fellowship was excellent. The workshops were very informative. Everything in my cooler stayed nice and cold. In fact, the ice did not even start to melt!

Take the air mattress, but make sure you also take a sleeping bag on every camping trip. That's what they are made for. And, leave Martha Stewart home. She can decorate a bedroom, but she's fairly useless in the woods.