Campfire Tails 2018


From the CFT Facebook page: an image of the Ogden Group Camp.
Furry camping conventions have been around since 1998, when the first Camp Feral was held in Ontario. In 2010, the Pacific Northwest got a camping con of our own. The inaugural Campfire Tails took place at the Ogden Group Camp in La Pine, OR, and it's been hosted at that same campsite every year since.

CFT offers a very different experience from the traditional hotel con. It’s outdoors (duh), it's much smaller, and the schedule is more fluid, made up of attendee-organized 'Happenings' such as crafting sessions, themed campsites, art installations, et cetera. I'd heard rave reviews from friends who had attended past years of CFT and was extremely excited to go for the first time.

Campfire Tails 2018 was held from August 2nd - 6th.

My dear friend Jovian drove me to the con. Together we made a collaborative playlist, exactly the length of the drive (about 5 hours), which was built around the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack. Between each Spirit song, we added 4 or 5 songs that we felt fit the mood of that particular moment in the movie. It was very impressive.


Ready to hit the road!
Jov stayed the night at my house beforehand, and early in the morning, we were off. We planned to hit numerous Goodwill outlets along the way, searching for vintage toys and other treasures. We probably got McDonald’s at some point, I don't remember, I'd just be shocked if we didn't. When we finally arrived in La Pine, we were the first of our group to make it. Eventually the rest of our friends trickled in, and we set up our tents, forming a very pleasant campsite on a hillside overlooking the outdoor showers and kitchen area.

My camping setup kicked ass. A luxurious pile of blankets, a furry dakimakura, and several plush toys in the tent...a Dollar Tree welcome mat outside, with colorful EL wire illuminating the tent entrance at night...a camp chair with a portable fan clipped to the frame, blowing a refreshing breeze towards me as I sprayed myself with a cooling mist from the spray bottle I'd purchased at Target.

Days at CFT largely involved chilling at the campsite with a frosty can of Rainier in hand, or hiking to the river to get in the water and chill with a frosty can of Rainier in hand. The cost of registration included 3 meals a day, and the food was much better than I could have anticipated for an all-outdoor event with so many people to feed. I fondly remember cheeseburger night in particular.


A home away from home.
At nighttime, the place really came alive. It was kind of surreal. So many elaborate camping setups with colorful lights and decor, most of them welcoming in any passing stranger. There was a campsite offering free alcohol. There was a hookah lounge. The Dragon Heights campsite projected movies like Balto and Fantastic Mr. Fox every night, hosted DJ sets, and provided 'dark lunch' (a midnight serving of quesadillas for anyone who wanted one). I took advantage of the cooler night air to fursuit, as did several other attendees. The number of fursuiters willing to brave the dusty, pine needle-covered landscape was understandably small compared to the amount of suits you'd see at a hotel con.

A favorite memory in particular was when Zootopia was screened, played on mute, while Knox performed an impromptu live DJ set along with the movie. I also fondly remember everyone dancing with Gwen’s inflatable deer at the Dragon Heights camp.


My conbadge, dirty and dusty at the end of the weekend.
On the final night, in Burning Man-esque fashion, everyone gathered to solemnly watch as a wooden structure was burned down, with attendees having written on the wood in Sharpie things they wanted to symbolically burn along with it. Later, an outdoor karaoke session lasted until the wee morning hours.

The next morning, after everything was cleaned and packed, we formed a caravan of cars with some friends and drove to Bend, OR together, where we enjoyed a divine Carl's Jr lunch before crossing the street to visit the world's last Blockbuster. After thoroughly browsing the aisles like in the good ole days, I emerged with a Boss Baby DVD and a sick bumper sticker. And then, we were off again, homeward bound after a truly unforgettable, hot, and dusty weekend.



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