We had a cub scout family camping trip this past weekend. The days were warm and beautiful but the nights were very cold.
Friday evening a very aggressive raccoon came looking for our fresh brownies. He sat right by my foot, even as I talked to me. I could have petted him had I been stupid.
The food for 60 folks went over really well. For the first time in the years I've been doing this, I had a fantastic group of folks helping out. They met with me before to do the planning, cooked and froze stuff ahead of time and knew what needed to be done during the day for prep. Everything went so smoothly. And a great bunch of dads stepped up to cook breakfast. I have to say that I find it interesting that that is what happens every time - the dads cook breakfast.
The stars were spectacular, perhaps because it was so clear and cold.
An owl could be heard each evening and woodpecker in the morning.
Some quiet time. This is going to start out as a negative but then go positive: usually we have a group campfire for a while in the evening on Fri for the small group that goes up early. Then on Saturday we a bunch go for breakfast at a diner. Lastly, several of the folks up early help me out with all the prep work before the rest of the group arrives. None of that happened this time. But: my family had quiet time at the campfire where we made fresh baked brownies. The 3 of us (Eldest Child came up later on Saturday) went to breakfast alone where I splurged on a belgian waffle and we had a great time. We put the sky chair. Youngest child read for a long time in it, I took a 45 minute nap, The Husband spent some time in it.
While I was very annoyed that no one offered their assistance, them not feeling the need to help out (even when I clean the bathrooms) freed me up to do nothing for a while. It turns out the quiet time worked much better for my peace of mind. I wasn't stressed out even though I ended up with more to do in a shorter time. I was also blessed with a little more help Sat afternoon than I expected.
Our den had some time at the campfire by ourselves. We sang songs and told ghost stories. I managed to scare the bejezus out of 3 people - 1 kid and 2 adults.
This last one is a highlight for me and lowpoint for someone else: It as so cold overnight on Sat to Sun that one family bailed at 2:30am. They walked out of their tent leaving everything behind and drove home. While I feel badly that the experience was so miserable, I find that way too funny. The good news is that they have camped before and know that it is fun so this won't turn them off.
The downsides: Friends who couldn't stay the whole time.
It was cold. Now Fri was chilly and it was colder than I had expected so I was a little cold around 5am. Sat night I added a layer, put on a hat and stuck foot warmers on each foot and scattered a few handwarmers on my bed. The kids had the same set up so I and my family slept warmly. But a lot of folks were less prepared and had a cold night.
It was exhausting. There is a lot of set up and pre-planning. I go up early so I can spread it out and not run myself ragged. There is a lot to do and I spend almost the whole time from noon on Saturday until 10am on Sunday standing. So my arthritis really acts up and I managed to torque out my shoulders from heavy lifting. Then there is the clean up. It takes a few days to clean all the gear and equipment from the food, to sort all the supplies and to put everything away. So for everyone else the trip is done, I'm still working.
I missed the meteors. Turns out a shower that I knew about Sat night but was not supposed to be visible this far north actually was.
And I missed an invite for a weekend away, which I wished I could have gone on.
Lastly, I don't have a single photo. I always end up too busy to take them on trips like this.
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