The Camping Experiment, 13 July 2012

Right now I'm sitting on my couch, surrounded on three sides by a 3-foot radius of folded laundry.  My washing machine is quiet for pretty much the first time in two and a half days and there's still one load left to fold.  The total number of loads washed--full loads, mind you--was 15.  Yes, 15.

This morning my sister Clare asked me incredulously, "How do you have that many clothes??" and I explained that sleeping bags and pillows and towels contributed toward the brunt of it.

But that's getting ahead of my story.

The four of us went camping for the first time this week.  As kids, Jay backpacked with his family and I did trailer camping with mine, but we had not yet attempted a camping trip with our own kids.  It was an experiment and I think it was largely successful!  The kids got good and filthy, I had a ball being in nature, Jay found time to relax with his computer in tow (yes, he hiked with his computer strapped across his shoulder; not my idea of fun, but it's his, so okay!), and we all loved not being in a hurry for anything.

My view from a picnic blanket

Before we left, I consulted a couple friends about tips they might have.  One of them suggested finding a four-star hotel.  The other one brought an index card filled with nuggets of simple ideas she'd gleaned from years of camping with her family.  I decided to stash the hotel idea for another time and eagerly went over the index card.

Some things I had already figured on, like bringing simple food and using paper plates, but here are other tips from her that I really loved:

1. Pack cooking gear in boxes [I had been thinking of stuffing plastic grocery bags].
2. Have one box for cooking supplies and one box for food, so you know where everything is.
3. Bring an empty oatmeal container for holding utensils [and lighter and can opener].
4. Bring two floor mats: one for outside the tent and one for inside, for boys who forget to take off their shoes before entering and for the shoes at night.  [This cut down on tons of dirt and sand in the tent!  The mats spent two hours in the washing machine today.]
5. Make lunch right after breakfast to cut down on prep and clean-up time.  [I seem to recall my mom doing this on our trips of yore.]

I'm sure you veteran campers could contribute many other wonderful tips, but this was just enough to get me through the stress of planning.

Food supplies box in progress

I'm not yet sure that we are going to be a camping family, but I'd say the positives of this trip outweighed the negatives.  Because they're kinda-sorta funny, I will just briefly mention what I'd say were the three main negatives of the experience:

1. The kids complained about walking during our 30-minute hike.  Really guys?  You walk/run a good five miles a week!  And there aren't even trees to climb on those walks!
2. For my entire life--yes, diapers onward--I've had to pee in the middle of the night.  Next time we camp, I might bring back the concept of a chamber pot.
3. Sweet Jay was superman and stuck with his low/no-carb diet during the trip.  I'm sure he lost weight and I'm sure I gained some (Oreos and marshmallows anyone?), but one of us was generally a lot more chipper than the other.  (Fig Newton?)

To close this post on the sweet side, I'll share my favorite camping story about Z.

Our campsite had a water spigot in the ground, perfect for a quick wash or water bottle fill.  Before one of our meals, I asked Z to come over and wash his hands, which he obligingly did.  After I turned the water off, he looked down at the dirt it had drained over and said with curiosity, "Is this mud??"  He poked it firmly with his clean finger.  "Oh!  It is mud!  I love mud!" and both hands promptly squished into the gooey earth.

That's a happy camper for ya'!