We just got back from our first ever camping trip as a party of four. As soon as we got our tent set up yesterday afternoon, I whipped out our camera to begin documenting the fun, but the batteries were dead. So since I have no photographs from our camping trip, allow me to set up a mental scene for you.
The sky is dark and studded with stars. The sounds of insects and frogs permeate the air. A gentle breeze floats into the tent, bringing with it the scent of damp leaves and wood smoke. A small, grubby foot caresses your cheek. Suddenly, a quick movement within the tent causes you to sit up in alarm as you realize your son may have brought one of his many frog friends in for a sleepover.
(By the way, I was unable to confirm or deny the presence of a frog in our tent. If we did sleep with a frog, I think I'd rather not know).
Grubby feet and frog friends aside, the camping trip actually went really well. We camped right on the lake at Woolly Hollow. Perrin and Brielle were both ecstatic to see that the campsite was teeming with itsy bitsy frogs. While I wasn't quite as thrilled with the frogs, they did at least keep the kids occupied. After we set up the tent, we changed into swim suits and headed for the beach. We played in the water and buried Perrin in the sand about a thousand times. Brielle was starting to look a little droopy, so after a quick trip to the playground, we decided to see if we could get her to nap in the tent. No such luck. She was way too excited to waste time napping.
We went for a hike instead and strapped Brielle into a baby backpack. Within minutes, she dozed off and spent the rest of our hike with her neck at a 90 degree angle. Perrin continued to look for (and catch) frogs. At one point we told him to unclench his fist, and at least 7 or 8 frogs fell out.
We had a picnic dinner back at our campsite, then roasted marshmallows and made smores for dessert. Getting the kids to go to sleep in the tent was a little challenging, but we had pure exhaustion on our side and they gave up the fight fairly quickly. (Both kids did crawl across me in their sleep, however. Luckily not at the same time.)
The kids woke up at 5:45, which is a whole 45 minutes later than the one other time we took Perrin camping. So we had an early (early, early) breakfast. I feel sorry for the campers near us. I'm pretty sure everyone within a 300 foot radius was also awake at 5:45, thanks to a couple of big mouths. I'm reminded of the camping trips from Calvin and Hobbes--it's not real, character-building camping unless everyone is miserable, right? We're just doing our part to grow character in everyone around us.
After breakfast, Perrin and I rented a canoe and paddled on the lake together. Correction--I paddled. He made steering more difficult by "helping" with his paddle. He enjoyed the boat ride but seemed a little disappointed that we didn't see any crocodiles.
We had a lot of fun, but one night of camping was enough for us. Maybe when the kids are a little older, we'll be brave enough to stick it out for longer. And maybe someday I can get Perrin his own little tent. Frog friends welcome.
