A group of women, all alone in the woods during the off-season when no
one else is around for miles, all the local shops and restaurants are
closed and its below freezing outside. Once the sun goes down, the cabin
starts to creak, branches snap outside and everyone is very much aware
of how isolated they really are. Scary right? We’ve all seen this movie before. We all know how it ends. Or do we?
If
you are a member of the Little Black Dress Club, this past “Glamping”
trip ended with 10 empty bottles of wine, a brief stint as trespassers,
stomachaches from laughing so hard, and new friendships that will likely
last a lifetime.
12
members from the Nashville Chapter along with one member from our
Birmingham Chapter embarked on a 3 day trip to Dale Hollow Lake. Leaving
Friday afternoon packed with hairspray, wine, a Magic Mike DVD, and
lots of snacks, we spent the weekend in a remote cabin with the entire Eagle Cove Resort to ourselves. After getting settled in for the
weekend, we noshed on some taco soup and turned in early, ready to start
the next day.
Saturday
morning started off with a tour of Highland Manor Winery. At the oldest
winery in Tennessee, we enjoyed a hefty tasting from their entire wine
list. The locals didn’t know quite what to think about such a large
group of women all wearing “I heart Glamping” t-shirts and buying 3 or 4
bottles of wine. Each! While everyone was on their best behavior, we
certainly left Highland Manor a little brighter than it was when we got
there.
Driving
on down the road to Muddy Pond, our group stopped to visit the local
Mennonite community. Buying homemade goods from the General Store,
enjoying a taste of several of their homemade cheeses, and posing for
pictures with.....well.....lots of muddy ponds, turned out to be a
tiring but great ending to a day full of new and interesting stops.
Once
we arrived back at the lake, half the girls laid down to rest, another
handful started preparing dinner, and then there were the few that went
rogue. As I have said, this is the off season and the resort and marina,
including a dock full of houseboats, were empty. So while others were
napping and preparing our dinner, we decided to go for a walk. Which
turned into a hike. Which then lead to pictures on the dock with the
sunset in the background. Which somehow ended up with us sitting on the
top deck of a 180 foot houseboat laughing at each other for no apparent
reason, taking ridiculous pictures, and completely oblivious of any “no
trespassing” signs. But hey, you only live once right? 
Finally
realizing we needed to book it back to the cabin since it was getting
dark and we had heard rumors of what happens during a full moon, we
arrived back just in time to enjoy a great dinner (Thanks Bridget!),
“better than sex” dessert, and the first viewing of Magic Mike.
As we
changed into our pajamas, popped a few wine corks and began several
inappropriate and borderline obscene conversations, it occurred to a few
former girl scouts that camping in the woods would not be complete
without s'mores. Of all varieties.
Because there were no tall, dark and
handsome strangers to show us how to work the gas grill or build our own
fire, we compromised. We roasted marshmallows in the fireplace using a
fire starter log
and we made smores shots! Whatever works right? While the fireplace
s'mores were great and the whiskey shots were tasty, it did take a
couple of tries before some of us learned how to complete the process
without burning off our eyebrows. True Story.
Because there were no tall, dark and
handsome strangers to show us how to work the gas grill or build our own
fire, we compromised. We roasted marshmallows in the fireplace using a
fire starter log
and we made smores shots! Whatever works right? While the fireplace
s'mores were great and the whiskey shots were tasty, it did take a
couple of tries before some of us learned how to complete the process
without burning off our eyebrows. True Story. 
After
a second viewing of Magic Mike, no more wine and the sadness of having
to leave the next day started to register, it was time to turn in. While
I never thought I would find myself sleeping on the floor in front of a
romantic fire with a cabin full of women, it was the best ending to the
best day. Ever.
Sunday
proved to be no exception. Imagine the movie ‘Hangover.’ Waking up and
checking our phones, we began seeing, some of us not remembering,
videos and pictures that we had taken the night before-we all made what
we coined “A Full Moon Vow.” We agreed to view these videos and
pictures ONE TIME. Then never speak of them again. There were only a few
that escaped the cut.
After
realizing our chosen restaurant was closed and only open during summer
months, we hit the road. Headed back to Nashville tired, partially
hungover, and randomly laughing at something that someone said or did
the day before, we ended our weekend with a walk of shame at the only
place we could find that was open. Shoney's Breakfast Bar. It was the
perfect ending to the Little Black Dress Club’s very first Glamping
Trip, the beginning of some great friendships and memories, and the
reality that Monday was just a few hours away.
Glamping Part Deux is already being planned. Hope to see you all there next time. You won’t be sorry.
~Shay Ashcraft
Social Media Director, LBDC
