My family and I recently went camping to unplug from this connected world. I am writing this in hopes that it may encourage you and your family to go camping, even if you have young kids like my wife and I at this time of writing.
For a few years now, my wife and I have been wanting to go on a camping trip, however our kids were either too young, or there was a random roadblock preventing us from going. The timing seemed right this year, and we started purchasing relevant camping equipment and supplies casually as the months led up to our camping trip. Below is my experience with dry camping, which is camping at a site that does not have running water or electrical hookups directly at our campsite. We did have the amenities of a community bathroom and a water spicket 50-yards away. Dry camping is a step above “primitive” camping, where these amenities are not available.
When we had purchased most of our equipment such as the tent, shade canopy, large ice chest, sleeping bags, folding chairs, and cooking stove, we started looking for a campsite. I quickly learned that the best way to find a campsite is to download and install the free app provided by Recreation.gov to my smartphone. After installing, I was able to search for available campsites for the dates we wanted to vacation. We ended up choosing a location that was not extremely popular and had many open campsites to choose from. The campsite we chose within the location was strategically picked to be away from the highway for some peace and quiet, and nearby the bathrooms in case the kiddos had an emergency #2 that took priority #1. My wife and I are barely into our 30’s, and we brought our 5-year old son and 2-year old son (still in diapers), along with our family dog who is 7-years old (or 49 in dog years). Note that my wife is also 10+ weeks pregnant, and I appreciate that she still agreed to a camping trip (#AwesomeWife). We were able to fit everyone and everything into our Ford Explorer, in which I equipped with a medium-sized roof box to use for the trip. We planned to stay for 5 days and 4 nights, which was a reasonable duration for us.
SETTING UP
Upon arrival, we were met with a clean and raked dirt campsite, complete with a large picnic table and fire pit. We unpacked the SUV, setting up our tent, table, stove, and chairs while the kids got comfortable running around, helping us setup at times, and playing with their toy cars that they brought along. Prior to setting up the tent, we laid out a large tarp (also known as a footprint), that acts as a protective layer between the tent and any sharp rocks on the ground. The tarp was also large enough to give us a “front patio” in front of the tent entrance, where we could stand and remove our shoes prior to entering the tent. Inside the tent, we setup our air mattress and sleeping bags. We chose to purchase most of our equipment at Costco instead of REI or Cabela’s, as we didn’t know how many times we were going to be camping, and didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on an activity if we were only going to use the equipment a handful of times. Don’t get me wrong, I still want that 10×14 Kodiak canvas tent, but cannot justify it quite yet. After setting up the tent, a 6-foot table, the 2-burner stove, and some chairs, the only thing left was to organize our stuff, buy a few bundles of firewood from the host (not needed and I will talk about this later), start the fire, then get ready to make dinner. We still had about an hour before sunset at this time.
FOOD FOR THE TRIP
On the first night, we ate a meal known as “chili boats”, which is a bowl of Fritos covered with a small layer of shredded cheese, then covered with a thick layer of homemade chili, which is then covered with a layer of homemade salsa. The meal was quick to put together, as we pre-made the chili and salsa at home before the trip. Other dinner meals were: shish kebabs, hot dogs, and chili. Lunch meals: Tuna sandwiches (we forgot the tuna at home!) and PB&J sandwiches. Breakfast meals: Eggs/toast and pancakes/eggs. Snacks: watermelon, blueberries, chips, granola bars, apples, bananas, tangerines, applesauce packets for the kids, etc. Liquids: 6-gallons of water, coconut waters, and some bottles of kombucha. For the dog: her dog food and bowl, as she is a very low maintenance family companion. Dessert: S’mores of course!
ACTIVITIES
This is where I thought we would get bored, however we were plenty busy during our downtime keeping the kids from either hurting each other, hurting themselves, or running off into the woods. We brought along some games, such as Jenga, Guess Who, and Shark Bite. Jenga was dual purpose, as we also had fun playing dominoes with the wood blocks.
A couple times each day, we would go for a walk or hike, as the campsite had paved roads to walk, a nice leisurely nature walking path in the woods, and also a more rigorous hiking loop that required carrying the youngest kiddo for a good portion of the hike. During other parts of the day, I brought the boys with me to find firewood. The rule in our forest is if the wood is fallen, it is free for the taking. The first day we arrived, I purchased firewood as I wasn’t sure I could find firewood before I needed it. Looking back, this was not necessary, as there was fallen wood easily found around our campsite within a 30-yard radius. it took some scouting, but my boys and I were able to find firewood each day we went out searching.
I would like to mention that there were three tools that I am very glad I brought along with me which were a hand saw, an axe, and a hammer. The hand saw would cut the big logs to size, and the axe was able to chop the logs into smaller pieces when needed. If the ax could not chop the wood in a single hit, the hammer was there for backup, to drive the axe head through the wood.
The only issue with bringing these tools along was that the kiddos enjoyed using them like Dad, and would try sawing/chopping/hammering wood. It was good practice for them, but wow did it make us nervous. Their favorite tool by far was the axe, and I made sure to teach them the keep their shins/feet out of the swing range, by telling them to swing down in front of them, with their feet spaced at about shoulder width. Praise the Lord, nobody was hurt during the chopping of wood.
WHAT A TRIP
Between walking, hiking, foraging for wood, cooking, cleaning, and visiting the bathrooms, we still had plenty of time to relax and absorb the calming effects of nature during both day and night. The birds would whistle during the mornings, and the stars would shine bright during the evenings. After the kids went to bed each night, and they were ASKING to go to bed, which is never the case at home, my wife and I would tend to the fire until it went out, and we would have our relaxing quiet time to talk. I also could not resist to bring along my binoculars and tripod to stargaze into the clear dark sky peppered with stars.
This trip was definitely what we needed at the time, and I am extremely glad we took the opportunity to make it happen. If you want to get away and ground yourself and family to the good ‘ole Mother Nature for a few days, I highly recommend it. It all starts with the idea, then rolls into getting the equipment, then the campsite gets booked, and then it’s family history/memories in the making. I hope this encourages you to take your family out camping, and on your way back home, I am sure you will say what I said, “What a trip.”