{ The One Where We Go Camping }

Last weekend was one of firsts. The first time just our lil’ family has gone camping by ourselves (somehow, in 7+ years of marriage, Jonathan and I have never struck out on our own to camp...probably because it’s just easier when my mom does the cooking. hahaha). The first time that Miss Annie has gone camping. And our first (and last) camping trip of the year. We spent two nights at Baker Lake in the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, got eaten alive by ‘skeeters’, slept little, argued much, learned how to do it better next time, and made some memories.



must remember to bring playpen and toys next time(!)



I grew up camping with my family, but we had an RV and that makes things like cooking and sleeping and camping with a baby just a little bit easier. Also, I never really learned how to tent camp efficiently, so I am having to learn it all by myself…and at our once-per-year pace, I am not sure I’ll ever get the hang of it.

she ate dirt about 1.6 seconds after this pic was taken

Bear Grylls says that a bit of food and a fire does much to boost the survivor’s morale, but he probably wasn’t paying $6 for a miniature bundle of firewood. Dinner was delicious though.

 

Day #2 showed improvements over the previous night’s mosquito buffet with WeissFamily on the menu. We drove 20 miles on a (mostly) dirt road to the mini mart and purchased some kid-friendly deet-free insect repellant, and applied liberally before heading up a forest service road (once again, unpaved) for our hike. It was only 10 miles, but at 10 MPH up a winding, BUMPY, 4-wheel drive required road, it took nearly an hour to reach the trailhead. I was immediately discouraged by the swarm of flies that greeted us when we jumped out of the truck and by the signage suggesting that Black & Grizzly bears had been known to frequent these hills, and what’s worse, we should also be aware that it was bear hunting season and we should do our best to alert hunter’s of the fact that we were in the area.  This could be best accomplished by carrying on a conversation, singing, or whistling while we hiked. Jonathan may have gotten tired of the incessant noise I made all the way up the trail, chatting his ear off, whistling the Andy Griffith theme song over and over and over again, or making up silly songs about not getting eaten by bears, but I was going to be darn sure that hunters and bears alike were aware of our presence. And I guess it worked as we were neither shot by hunters nor made supper for bears.

 

Anderson Butte :: Where we had lunch!

"Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:2

Oh, and I have been working on a HUGE craft project that has been way more time consuming than I imagined. I can’t wait to share it with you, but for now, here is a little sneak peek:

If you follow me on Pinterest at all, you may have an idea what I've got up my sleeve. I will say that I am about half way through The Decline & Fall of the Roamn Empire Volume I. Hehehehe

So, for all of you tent campers…any tips on how we can make our camping trips a little more smooth in the future, I am all ears!