Family Camping Challenge

[StantonHyde]

ok folks, last fall there was a thread on family camping and I see someone posted a day or so ago asking about equipment. Many of you have done the family camping thing. Others (like me) have all the equipment and are still too chicken to take 2 children under 6 camping. :bouncy:

But I just got back from my annual week long backpacking trip and have spring fever=lots of outdoor enthusiasm. So let's have a challenge for everyone who is so inclined to get out at least once. I suppose we could have different "classes": RV, pop up camper, tent/car camping, backpacking(yikes!!). So when would you want to go and where would you go and why?

I am planning on going the 3rd weekend in July. I want to do the mountains before the desert--too sandy. So I have to wait till July so that all the snow is gone and it is not freezing. This will also be the 2nd anniversary of my mom's death and I find that I do better on certain dates if I am busy doing other things. (e.g. my backpack was over Mother;s Day). So I think I will camp at one of the National Forest campgrounds in Big or Little Cottonwood canyons--we can see moose, go hiking, see wildflowers. AND we are only 30-45 minutes from home so if all hell breaks loose, we can just throw everything into the car and go home!!!!

What are your plans?

[niccig]

I was the one posting about camping equipment.

We're going to backyard camp over Father's Day so DS can get used to the tent and we can practice setting our new gear up.

Our first real camp will probably be at Leo Carillo National Park by the beach at Malibu. It's 40 mins from home and we go there every 2nd week for the beach, so DS knows the place. After that I want to go Idyllwild that Maestramommy told me about. It's about 2 hours from us. I think we're going to stay close to home because DH can rarely get Friday's off, so we'll just be going Saturday to Sunday. If all of that goes well, we'll try for longer trips next year.

[bubbaray]

We RV in August (during the daycare vacation break). We usually go to state campgrounds in central WA state. Very arrid/dry conditions with nice lakes. Full hookups. Its a full day's trip (we usually break it into two) away. Gas is going to kill us this year.

[trales]

We have three plans:

Car camping in Acadia/ Northern Maine for 4 days.

Hut camping in White Mountians for 2 days

Backcountry camping in Adirondacks for 3 days.

Then we are hiking from hotels in Iceland in Sept.

DD will be 14-17 months and we will have 2 large dogs with us.

These are our normal haunts, but the new part will be with DD in a backpack.

[bubbaray]

Then we are hiking from hotels in Iceland in Sept.



Ohhh, I'm jealous. I've always wanted to go to Iceland! :)

[elliput]

We will be tent camping 2 weekends in June and possibly one or two more times during the summer. Question is whether we will use our cabin style tent or an outfitter style tent (heavy canvas, no floor).

[ThreeofUs]

We will be RV camping every weekend at our lake campground. (Frankly, it's so cushy, I'm not even sure it qualifies as camping.) DH and DS will be trying out backyard camping together over the summer.

And I, too, wish I was living Tracey's life ... sounds like an awesome plan! :)

[StantonHyde]

Hut to hut with DD in backpack??? ooooh you are either really brave or hard of hearing :ROTFLMAO: I hope it goes well. The people I just spent a week with were all from the Boston area. They said that the hut system was great with kids who could day hike but not necessarily carry lots of weight. My kids hike about a mile an hour--because there is so much to see and rocks to climb. I just want them to have fun at this stage, so I make sure we have a long time to take short hikes.

As for the tent with no floor--we have rattlesnakes and scorpions in the desert so I had to search for a 2 room cabin tent--one for sleeping and the other a sort of screen enclosed "porch"--and both had to have floors. I used to sleep on the ground (no tent) on desert backpacks but then I got tired of dealing with mice and other critters running around-ick. So tent floors for me :bouncy:

[GeekLady]

We are still debating hitting Enchanted Rock over a weekend, as I feel marginally better walking than I do sitting or lying down. My OB would have kittens, though - I'm due 7/15.

Maybe we'll hit the Matagorda peninsula/beach instead, it's a closer drive, with a large body of still chilly water available, in case of overheating.

It's too bad that the baby's arrival interfered with having a camping trip this year, so we're already planning next year's trip. I'm thinking the Silverton area, especially if we drive.

[Lynnie]

wow, my guys are just trying it in the backyard, for the first time ever. (newly purchased tent in back of car right now in fact)
I'll be going to a local hotel/spa with a couple other mommies that night. but I do hope to really camp one of these days. haven't gone since college, and I know my boys would love it. we'll be starting very small, though! and need to go before it gets too hot !

everyone's plans sound great - although, frankly, the annual week long, and I'm assuming kid-free, backpacking trip sounds amazing.

[StantonHyde]

oh yeah, the annual backpack is kid and DH free. I absolutely must get out in the wilderness for my mental health and sanity. I just need one trip a year but I need to hear a canyon wren! DH is wonderful to hold the fort down (he is a great day hiker/car camper but he whines while backpacking--the idea is to decrease my stress, not increase it :) ). But he works at least one ridiculous weekend every month, so I figure after at least 12 times that I have had to do solo stretches of 72 hours, I earned my week away!! Besides I come back in such a great frame of mind. It is good for ALL of us.

[maestramommy]

We are going to Joshua Tree this weekend. We've checked the weather it's supposed to be high of 88 on Sat. and 90 on Sunday. Hopefully by the time it gets to the high we'll be on our way home already.

We are car camping, and all sleeping in the same tent. The last camping trip (Zion, UT) was last Sept, and it wasn an utter disaster. It was Dora's first camping trip that she was aware enough for, and she thought it was a big party, hardly slept, and kept us all up. Moving to a motel didn't help much.

This time she is at least to used sleeping with a roommate already, and we've decided not to put them to bed at their usual time. Instead we'll hang out by the campfire, take turns cleaning up, and all go to bed together when they start getting sleepy. We're thinking maybe 9. It'll only be for one night, so even if it's another disaster we'll at least be going home the next day.

[Tondi G]

I was the one posting about camping equipment.

We're going to backyard camp over Father's Day so DS can get used to the tent and we can practice setting our new gear up.

Our first real camp will probably be at Leo Carillo National Park by the beach at Malibu. It's 40 mins from home and we go there every 2nd week for the beach, so DS knows the place. After that I want to go Idyllwild that Maestramommy told me about. It's about 2 hours from us. I think we're going to stay close to home because DH can rarely get Friday's off, so we'll just be going Saturday to Sunday. If all of that goes well, we'll try for longer trips next year.

You should check out Lake Casitas too

http://www.lakecasitas.info/

[hannah]

We are going to Golden Gate Canyon in CO over July 4th weekend. DD will be 3y10mo and DS will be 18 mo. We are car camping and all sleeping in the same tent. Hopefully all the snow is gone when we get there! Two years ago we went to Leadville, CO over July 4th and it snowed during naptime.

[brittone2]

We have a pop up camper, and my parents have a regular hard sided travel trailer. We usually do a few weekends over the summer at a nice local lake w/ very nice campsites. My parents will join us for several of the weekends.

In Sept. we are trying for a week at Myrtle Beach (went last year for the first time and DS loved it). We tend to like less commercialized beaches, but with kids, it was nice to have the aquarium, a children's museum, etc. for rainy days (and we had some). DS has been talking about going back since we left last year ;) DH and I prefer places like the Outer Banks, etc. but DS has other ideas ;)

[GeekLady]

last camping trip (Zion, UT)

Oh I love Zion. I begged and pleaded with my dad when I was 15(?) to hike the Narrows, but he said no. Quite emphatically. He's agreed to give it a shot with me some day after he retires, but we'll see whether he chickens out or not.

[gatorsmom]

We camp at my dad's hobby farm (no electricity/no running water) every other weekend in the summer. When I was growing up my family went there every weekend (it's closer to where my dad lives. It's a 3 hour drive for us) and used kerosene lanterns, took sponge baths (no showers), nature hikes, and cooked on an open fire. I loved that. My husband, however, hates camping so we compromise. For my squeamish husband we got a nice travel trailer-type camper with a teensy shower in it, a queen bed for us and 4 bunks for the kids. We have parked it at my dad's farm. We'll be doing that again this summer.

But seriously, how much can you call it camping when you can sleep in air conditioning, take a shower at the end of the day, and microwave hot dogs for dinner?

[wolverine2]

We car camped for one weekend when DS1 was 8 mos (he got a tick so it was a bit traumatic for me)! I really want to take him this summer, as I think he would love it. We'll tote along the baby as well!

I'm really much more into backpacking, and can't wait until the boys are old enough to do that. I actually think DS1 could do it now, as long as we weren't going very far and we were carrying all his stuff- he loves hiking. We just can't do that and carry a baby at the same time. Anyone else backpack with their young children? We are close enough to the White Mountains to do the hut-to-hut thing, but I'd really rather go all out and backpack with them. Anyone know of resources online for how to go about this?

[maestramommy]

Dh and I went on a few backpacks before kids. It was awesome! It's amazing how you can carry everything you need on your back. I would love to do it with the kids. In about 10 years:p

[bubbaray]

But seriously, how much can you call it camping when you can sleep in air conditioning, take a shower at the end of the day, and microwave hot dogs for dinner?


If it involves bugs, its camping in my book. Much to DH's chagrin, I do not camp if I cannot shower daily. Period.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Um...sleeping in a tent in the backyard with the charcoal grill being used to make s'mores. Does that count? We did that last year and ds1 is asking to do it again. My dh and ILs were thinking about doing a real tent camping trip at a near by state park.

Oh, and I personally prefer what I call "urban camping." That means a hotel and room service. ;)

Beth

[bubbaray]

Oh, and I personally prefer what I call "urban camping." That means a hotel and room service. ;)



:yeahthat: :)

[StantonHyde]

There is NOTHING in this world that will make you appreciate a flush toilet and running water than going into the wilderness for a week. I usually get to sponge off twice in that time. Once it was so cold I only took one sponge bath the entire week. The sweat dries off, you use baby wipes, and you all stink so it seems normal :cheerleader1:

I know people have backpacked with young children but is wayyyyyy more work than I would want to do. Two of the people on my recent trip loved using the White Mountain Hut System to get their kids into backpacking. I am just telling myself that backpacking can occur by the time the kids are 10 and 12. DD is tough and should be no problem. DS and DH will be whining. Maybe the boys will stay at base camp :p

[GeekLady]

We went to Rocky Mountain National Park last August, it was my husband's first camping trip (and second vacation that didn't involve visiting relations ever, the first was our honeymoon!) and he loved the hiking part.

But it got COLD at night, low 40s I think, cold enough that our cheap-o Coleman 40+ sleeping bags from college weren't good enough to keep us warm, even in warm jammies. Our tent didn't help, we've got this:

http://www.eurekatent.com/p-57-apex-2xt.aspx#

I'd rather not have to buy ANOTHER tent next summer, I'd like to spend the money on better sleeping bags and another SeV, but I'm worried about the baby being warm enough.

What's the best way to keep a baby warm at night while camping? He'll be roughly 1, and I was considering just snuggling him in the big bag with us.

[KBecks]

We are going with both boys near the end of August at a beautiful state park that's about 3 hours from home. We will practice sleeping outside in our backyard, and I'm OK with canceling if the weather looks bad, etc. I booked 2 nights for the campsite but plan to only stay one, maybe 2 if things are going great and we want to stay.

I'm going to be very pregnant by that time and DH thinks I might not want to go, but I think I will. But I know I won't move very fast.

It will be my first time at a campground and I hope we can make this an annual summer tradition, to have one camping weekend each year. More if we love it, but at least one.

[trales]

I have climbed a quite a few 4000 footers with DD already, so staying in a hut should not be a big stretch. We did Mt. Washington in the snow two weeks ago, my pack with her weighed only 30lbs. DH gets to carry the rest. Though, he thought he was having a heart attack on the way up. I am sending him to the Y to row all weekend.

As for Iceland, we went there for our honeymoon, and we are now going back. I can't wait. I wish we could figure out a way to live there permanently.

New Englanders can PM me and I will meet you and day hike in the Whites if you want.