Be Careful What You Say to Your 10-Year Old
It is the spring of 2006 and we buy a new tent for the children to use for next summer. This is quite exciting and Graham, then aged 10, wants to try camping in the backyard during the school half-term, week holiday. This seems okay. He has slept in the garden before, as had his sister before him. He equips the tent with pillows and blankets and books and a CD player and so on and is very cozy.
Continue ReadingThe Tornado Warning
The sky is pitch-black. It is 11:34 AM. I am huddled in a campground bathroom stall with my three sisters, two brothers, and the family dog. My sister is eleven, and she is sobbing because she thinks we are about to die, and she wants our parents to arrive so that she can tell my mom she’s sorry for misbehaving. Camping in the North Woods of Wisconsin, USA A Scary Scenario I am honestly not a
Continue ReadingHaste Makes Mistakes: Prepare for Your Camping Trip
I remember the time I was on a camping trip with my daughter and son-in-law. We had planned on camping in Acadia national park in Maine, USA. We got to the campsite in the early evening and it was just starting to get dark and beginning to rain lightly. This was in mid-September and, although it was fairly warm during the day, it had gotten pretty cool in the evening. A Nice Wet Sleep We wan
Continue ReadingKeeping Warm While Camping
Deep down I am a weather-weenie. Don’t get me wrong… I am a tough cookie in most respects. I’ll still take on an adventure in the snow, rain, or wind. BUT, take it from my experience, you’ll be much happier if you are warm on your camping trip! Tips for Keeping Warm While Camping: Layer Up: Temperature and conditions are always changing even during the summer months. The temperatures ar
Continue ReadingA Wet Camp is a Miserable Camp
Keeping warm and dry can make all the difference when it comes to enjoying a camping trip. Getting wet while camping can lead to being cold, uncomfortable, out of energy and just plain irritable. Whereas remaining dry can mean being warm, happy and full of energy. Camping in a remote place without the luxury of electricity can mean that there are few options for drying out clothing and sleep
Continue ReadingInvest in a Waterproof Tent
My rose coloured singlet stuck to the hollow of my back. I shifted myself onto my side, feeling the soft heat emanating from my burning cheek onto the palm of my hand. Just as I had begun to dream about being kissed by this really hot guy from some movie, I felt a hand shaking my shoulder. “Vicky...Vick-k-k-y-y-y!” “Hmm...w-h-a-t?” a small pool of drool trickled down my chin, sprung
Continue ReadingCamping at Keuka State Park NY: Making Memories in the Rain
The wholesome family experience of camping is not limited to clear starry nights and chasing fireflies. In 2004, a stormy night on a hill gave camping a whole new perspective for this mom from New York. Jackie was determined to make camping a part of her children’s lives. School was still in session and preparations had begun several weeks earlier. Jackie booked a tent-site for a weekend in l
Continue ReadingRV Camping: Hold Down the Fort
Whenever my husband or I would leave our house, there was always the admonition to the other to “Hold Down the Fort”. This past weekend we went RV camping at our favorite spot; this spot is an RV park with a cement drive-through pad, water, sewage, electrical, and cable hook-ups, a pool, and a McDonald’s within two miles. RV Camping After setting up camp, hooking up the air conditioner,
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