Camping 2010

We went camping over labor day weekend. No, really, we did. I'm serious! Of course we didn't go alone. Why would we even go then? We went with 3 other families with whom we spend most of our time during the week. Thanks to the camping abilities of two of the families, we actually had a great time. The nights...they weren't so great. We were in a trailer and the kids were all sleeping alongside each other. Padyn was coughing and sometimes up every hour, so you can imagine how that went over. The kids were up too earlier and asleep too late...but the daytime was great! Here's a picture collage to tell our story.

No no...Daddy didn't do car repair on the camping trip. He had to do it before we left. It was a long, arduous task and I won't go into it. But eventually Daddy beat the truck and we left. Oh, and Robbie really wanted to help. Here's a favorite activity of the kids-push another kid in the hammock. You can imagine how treacherous that got at points. I think we only had one major crash, and that was when the rope snapped when an adult was in it. We had a few bruised noses, but all and all, the major injuries of the trip did not occur around the hammock. And there were major injuries. How could there not be with 11 kids?

Robbie thought it was great to have Daddy around ALL WEEKEND LONG and constantly demanded his attention.

He also liked cruising around from camping chair to camping chair at the fire pit. But really, Robbie's favorite part of the trip was getting dirty. And being outside.

Day 1: Searching for a Geo cache and hike. This one was very close to our site near a trail we attempted to hike.

Finding treasure. Each kid put an object in the cache and took one out. Sometimes, it was an item one of their friends had just deposited.

Treasure!

So, we went on this hike. But really, Padyn and all our friends went on the hike. Kate started complaining BEFORE we got on the trail and after about 1/2 mile, we couldn't take it anymore. We sat and rested while the rest of the gang trailed onward to the railroad tracks. Then we took our whiny kid back to camp.

I'm not sure why he is crying here, being surrounded by his favorite things. Can I just tell you how much he loved being outside all weekend? He thought it was the greatest thing ever. Well, not at this exact moment...

Our site was on the Yuba River, which is very cold. That didn't stop us from playing in it one day and bathing in it the next. Though, the kids were way happier to play than bathe.

Kate really just liked sitting on the rocks. Kate had a few rough moments during the weekend. I don't care to relive them, but I will tell you most of them involved socks, shoes and jeans. Next time, I'm just letting her pack herself.

Here we all are...eating.

This was Padyn's favorite camping activity.

And this was one of Robbie's...

On day two we jumped in our cars and heading to a small lake for some swimming and fishing. It was so very cold. Not much swimming happened. And while there was a lot of fishing by many people, no actual fish were caught on this trip.

Some dirt was caught, though. The kids were covered in grime when we left the lake and headed back to camp. Hence, the river bathing...

I didn't get any pictures of bathing because I was one of the scrubbers. This is an after shot from the opposite bank. The kids complained of the cold all the while being cleaned, but once it was done, they jumped back in the water for playtime. I think they are looking for crawdads here.

Another favorite camping activity, especially for Kate. I don't think she is even in this picture, though.

Will we ever go camping again? Sure. But not until next year. And Kate has to pack her own socks. And we may need a bigger trailer. And some ice for cocktails. No one has made true campers of us yet.