Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Camping Encouragement From the Archives

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I came across an old post from summer I never shared with you lovelies. Since we have hit the road again in search of nature turning seasons on us, I find this post quite suitable.

2010-June-Lake Don Pedro 367

We made it back from our week of tent camping and boating and what an adventure we had! A few basic notables for me:

Sleeping in a tent (on an air mattress, of course) is much nicer than I remember it to be. Even if you have 'weather' and it rains, being out in the fresh air and waking to chirping birds is a great way to start most any day. I love the connection to my most basic surroundings; the things I would certainly miss if I was typically huddled in a trailer, RV or cabin.

Cutting a deal with the husband upfront to be on breakfast detail and have coffee brewed and served was a very wise move on my part. He's a little hardier in the elements and doesn't mind getting going on the cups of joe, so who am I to stop him?

Planning your food out makes all the difference. I had all our meals planned, to the day. Grilled chicken, hobo meals, and even tacos are pretty easy camp food. Since we had to live out of a cooler, we had our freshest meals at the beginning and by the end of the trip succumbed to the crowd favorite (except me) of chili dogs. Marinating, even kabobing, and freezing ahead of time gave us a good variety of flavorful food.

We are booked for the same trip next year, but I will be in a camper. The experience was great and my kids loved it with no notice of the wind. Not one complaint from them. I, on the other hand, feel best if I can escape the elements a bit each day. I love boating and being out all day but I need to take a break from the sun, or wind or rain or whatever the weather serves up and reboot.

I'd like the record to show that I will always advocate a family trip of this nature (Pun intended!). It brings your tribe together and gives your kids a wonderful appreciation for what is simple and basic. If I can endure this with three kids, a throbbing sinus infection, too many snake sightings for me and unseasonable wind, then you can too!

Get out there!

Post script: I echo Marta's recent Q&A on camping here. Great tips!

2 comments:

180360 said...

I have yet to take my children camping and since I'm Alaskan, this is a pretty embarrassing confession. I grew up in the woods! For some reason, it just seems like so much work. I'm sure once I got out there it would be great.

Sarah said...

Spent a couple of years as a youth in Alaska as well. My sister was even born from home there!

Camping is so great, but with certain luxuries, IMHO. Otherwise, it's just a lot of work for mama!