Monday, June 20, 2011

Summer Camping

Jared and I enjoy camping.  We have always done so in the fall.  Until now.
We wanting to do spring camping, but the weekends just kept slipping by, so it was June before we knew it.  We loaded the 4-Runner and headed north to Dick's Creek for some real, authentic, no-bathrooms camping.
It was hot, but the shade and mountain water kept us cool.  There were bugs, but not so many that it was unbearable. (We had a major battle with a horsefly that Jared won.  That thing would not stop until he or one of us was dead.)  We were dirty, but only for a few days.  Overall, it was a great experience.


We started off setting up camp and getting right in that water.


I was an expert hot dog cooker (and Jared was an amazing fire maker).


Getting the girls to sleep was quite the experience.  Lera didn't know what to do with herself without the walls of her crib to keep her in.  She wandered from person to person, sitting on us, rolling over us, hugging and kissing us.  She eventually gave it up and slept great.  It was perfect sleeping weather - probably in the high 60s at night.


Did I mention the girls got dirty?  I knew better; I packed grungey clothes for the occasion.


One of our little hikes.


The beautiful waterfall and swimmin' hole.
Later in the day we came back to this area and it was pretty crowded.  Jared joked that everyone over the age of 12 had a tattoo.  It was pretty funny.


To the right of the picture you'll see the only potty we had.  Of course, only Chess had the pleasure of sitting on a potty while we were there.


How about a little game of climb in and out, in and out, in and out?  Hey, whatever keeps you entertained.


Our home for the weekend.

Everyone did pretty great "roughing it."  Something about camping makes every situation very extreme with kids. When the girls were exhausted or hurt or unhappy, you knew it!  The crying reached its loudest I think I've ever heard at some points.  But when they were having a great time, oh boy, it was fun for everyone.  The laughter and joy of splashing in the river, playing with sticks and rocks, following little bugs around, and experiencing new things was priceless.
Plus, not freezing at night like we usually do in the fall was a plus, too.  I think we may have more summer camping in our future.

2 comments:

libbysupermom said...

Looks like y'all had a blast!!! Making memories......:)

Whitmire Family said...

we usually go camping in the summer. I need to find out exactly where this is. It looks like a great spot! We've gone to the same place for the last 3 years, I'd like to try somewhere different. can you email me how to get there?