>>By Katherine McCully, Guest Writer

Let’s get something out of the way right now: I do not camp. I’m a delicate flower, y’all. My idea of roughing it is not having a mini fridge in my hotel room. So, obviously, the natural place for me is at Bonnaroo.

So far, I’ve sweated more than I thought possible, and I got woken up this morning by the rain coming in through my tent onto my face. Setting up the tent yesterday was a kerfuffle at best. But I lucked into a pretty banging setup. And we’re super close to Centeroo, so the walking isn’t too bad.

Those porta potties, though. I intentionally did not think about them before I got here. If I don’t admit it, it doesn’t exist. They’re not too bad, but I’m still Germ-ex-ing them to death before touching anything. And toilet paper is a necessity. It’s hit or miss whether or not there will be any left.

The food is amazing. I was expecting something more like county fair food: funnel cakes and hot dogs everywhere. I should have known better. Bonnaroo is a very natural crowd, so there’s quinoa at almost every food stand. I’m learning to enjoy quinoa. It’s a funky consistency, but it’s growing on me.

This year’s lineup looked really good, so I worked out it that my brother could come. He is affectionately known as “Baby Brother” among my friends. Baby Brother seems a bit overwhelmed. He loves music and is always way ahead of the curve in terms of what’s going to be popular. He bought “The Heist” a year before “Thrift Shop” ever got played on the radio. He’s super stoked for Chance the Rapper tonight. He bought a bucket hat for the occasion and everything. I’m excited to see how he handles this experience.

The best part of this, though, is that everyone is in the same boat here. We all stink, we’re all dirty, and we’re all having a great time. I’m still perfecting my high five (pro tip: look at the other person’s elbow), but I think by tonight, I’ll have it down.

– Katherine