Today didn’t go the way I planned. We were supposed to be out hot tent camping, but the state forest didn’t work out, the Hipcamp didn’t work out, and we were too far from home to make it back. So we did something I’ve never done on this channel: stealth truck camping at Walmart. I tucked Fiona in, found a more remote corner of the lot, and got the truck set up fast—because I was exhausted and I sure hope we don’t get the dreaded midnight knock. It was absolutely freezing—26°F—and I’m not kidding when I say gas doesn’t like the cold. I kept the stove fuel under my jacket and even had to warm the olive oil in my pocket. Dinner was simple: instant skillet beef, cast iron, and “good is good.” Later on, I threw up Reflectix, crawled into my -26° sleeping bag, and hoped for the best. Turns out we slept incredible—less noise than some state forest nights. In the morning I grabbed breakfast, wiped condensation (and puppy snot prints) off the windows, and rolled out with a reminder: even in a Walmart parking lot, leave no trace.