Camping: An Adventure to Remember

Every August we've packed up the family and headed to the Uinta Mountains for a few days in the great outdoors. Each trip has left us with many memories, some good and some not so good. This year was no different. Here are a few of the highlights:

Good things:

• The weather was really great. The temperature was in the 70's during the day and barely into the 40's at night. You couldn't ask for anything better.


• We were all by ourselves. One of the best parts about camping in the West Fork of Black's Fork is that most people don't travel that far up the canyon. It gives you the sense that you're really out there by yourselves.

The River. We spent most of Friday hanging out along the West Fork River. Whether it was crossing the river in the Xterra (a family favorite), throwing rocks and watching the "splash" (an Alex favorite), or floating down the river in a raft (a Kennedy favorite - the second time down) we all had fun spending time in the water.

• The moose that walked right through our camp. It was so awesome to see such an enormous bull moose with her child amble right past us. I tried to get some pictures, but it was too dark to see much. Still, the kids loved the sights of some real animals in the wild. It was pretty cool.

Not so Good Things:

• Sleeping out in the tent. I'm glad that the days are so fun, cause the nights aren't. Thursday night Alex cried and screamed for most of the time. Surprisingly, Kennedy actually faired pretty well the first night - she made up for it on the second night. Around midnight we had a meltdown which included the following lines:
  
  I want the Sun. Daddy go and get the Sun.
  I want to play outside. Take me outside.
  I don't want to take a nap. I want to drink chocolate milk.
  
  After 30 minutes of her diatribe, Kennedy finally gave in and went back to sleep. Even once the kids has fallen asleep, Tara and I were done for both nights. Combine noisy kids with a crappy air mattress and it's a recipe for insomnia.

Alex not being able to walk. He spent much of the trip eating dirt and trying to eat more dirt. We just couldn't keep him out of the dirt, rock, poop, and everything else you find in nature. Still, it's a learning experience and I hope what doesn't kill him makes him stronger. He certainly had plenty of natural minerals over the course of the trip.

• No fires. It just isn't camping when you can't have a fire. One of the best parts of the whole experience is sitting around the fire and sharing stories while looking at the stars. Because of the fire danger across the state, fires have been banned in the Uintas. It totally affects what you do when there isn't a fire. Each night we went into the tents around 9 pm. There just isn't much point to sit in the dark and talk while you're freezing.

Even with some of the down sides to time away from the comforts of home, camping is one of our favorite family activities. The kids really love the time outside and Tara and I love the peace and quiet (nighttime excluded). Each time we go camping I'm reminded just how short our time is with these little ones and I really want to build memories the kids can take with them as the grow older. Camping was really important to my family growing up and I want my kids to have the same experiences I did.