Last year, I went on my first official camping trip. You can read about that experience in the first of what is apparently becoming a series, HERE. That first trip was definitely a “dip your toes in the water” camping experience. It was local… it was commercial… and we only did one night because we were 100% prepared to have to give up and pack it in halfway through the experience.
Earlier this year, Amy and I decided to get a bit more adventurous and take our camping expeditions to the next level. This time we went out of state and headed to Red River Gorge for two nights. This experience was different for a number of reasons. And while, I am still not an experienced camper, I am finding that with each new experience I learn a little more and get a little braver.
Take home points this time were:
- I had an official sleeping bag and camp lighting this time around and I was right… It made a HUGE difference. I am adding some prep tables and a better portable grill to the list now.
Food can be fun. Amy and I split the days to share the responsibility of feeding our tribe. We were a little concerned about variety in food choices for our (slightly) longer trip. But, the food ended up being quite good. One night was chicken ka-bobs and grilled veggies and potatoes. One was hotdogs, pasta salad and lots of fruit… camping = severe cravings for fruit apparently. I actually had a lot of fun researching potential camping food options on Pinterest.- Week days are key. Amy and I both enjoy feeling like we are alone and peaceful. This is hard to do in popular camping spots on the weekend when the sites are literally next door to each other. We stayed Thursday and Friday night… Thursday was much nicer in terms of crowds. Red River Gorge has some hard core camp sites, which will likely get you some more wilderness isolation… however we did not think the 5 years old’s (or their mamas) were up to hiking to a rustic camp site just yet.
Add strawberries to your s’mores. Just do it. You can thank me later.- Bring an extra pair of shoes. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to bring a second pair of shoes for the girls, but I didn’t and it took HOURS to dry theirs out after the first night of creek walking.
- There is still room to scale down. I think Amy and I did a better job packing this time than we did the first time as far as not bringing a ton of unnecessary “extras”, but there is still room to scale down.
Make a scavenger hunt for hiking. The first time we went, the kid’s fussed and complained the entire time we were hiking. Some of this was due to the rushed nature of the trip and how little down time we had, however some was just because they don’t enjoy walking through nature the same way we do. Amy and I made a scavenger hunt prior to leaving, giving the girls pictures of items to find (moss, squirrel, bug, stick, etc…)while we walked and it definitely made it more fun.- Build in down time. It was important to have some time to just sit at the camp site… for you and the kiddos. For us, it has been a lot of fun to have a kid size tent with some small toys and books in it for the girls to have a play room of sorts. Games like Dominoes and Uno are great to take as well.
- Figure out your level of “glamping”. I am not ashamed to admit that there are certain things that I enjoy having during my camping excursions that are not necessarily “roughing” it. For me those are:
- Air mattress… my tendency to get headaches makes this necessary.
- Coal and lighter fluid for the grill. I am not going to be one of those experts starting fire by rubbing two sticks together. I am at peace with that.
- Extension Cord (for the air mattresses)… and yes, I prefer to have a site with electricity.
- Ipod and speakers. This was actually a life saver with the kids on a few occasions.
So, where should we go next? Where is your favorite place to camp?
