Camping- Episode 1: The Preparation

Finally, the work on our rental house is done, our new tenants are safely moved in, and we can try to salvage what is left of the summer. Usually by this time we have been camping 3 or 4 times, but this summer has not been typical. Now before I talk about how to prepare for camping, let me tell you how we got started. About 15 years ago when we had 5 children at home, we could never afford to go on vacation because we needed to rent either a suite or two rooms because fire codes would not allow us to stay in one room, so even going someplace overnight was prohibitively expensive. When Costco (the Price Club) first opened here they had a whole aisle of camping gear and we thought, "wouldn't this be a great way to take an affordable vacation with the kids?" And so we bought a cabin tent, sleeping bags, a propane stove and lantern, with the very best of intentions. And these items (except the sleeping bags) sat boxed in our garage for almost 3 years. The problem? While I camped a lot as a Girl Scout and my husband had camped before, it was mostly pup tents and hot dogs on sticks, but when you are taking children, there is so much more involved.

Luckily, some friends of ours who at that time had no children told us about a great place to go and invited us to go with them... and a tradition was formed. We have been going to Crabtree Falls Campground for over 11 years (Molly was a young toddler when we went the first time), and we have adopted its owners (and they, us) as part of our family. Right there by the Tye River, there are no phones, no TV, (even no wireless) just the people you love , good food and great scenery. It makes for a great vacation that helps recharge your batteries.

Now , back to the preparation. If you think stocking your pantry and planning meals at home takes time, camping, unless it is near a metropolitan area (and then what is the point?!) takes some planning. But careful planning at the front end will make you trip and camping meals very enjoyable. There are lots of sites you can go to that will help provide packing lists for what you need and suggestions for food and recipes for camping. I created my own on the computer based on what we like to take and what we need to enjoy a long weekend in the wilderness. A car-top carrier holds our cabin tent, camp chairs, air mattresses and sleeping bags. The cargo area of the car holds a container for food, cooler, the camp box with equipment (lanterns, camp ax, matches, etc) and, our luxury item - a queen sized folding camp bed (the older you get the harder it is to get off the ground!)

Since this trip is just the Core Four (seen left, camping last fall), we don't need as much gear, or as much food. We have planned meals and snacks, and what we plan to do (hike Crabtree Falls, go to Saunders Brothers nursery, and spend lots of time rocking in the hammock reading a book!) So, the bottom line is that I will not be posting for a few days, but when I get back I will post pictures of our adventure, and share the recipes and how-tos for a successful foray into the wilderness!