weekend camping + nature scavenger hunt

This weekend I took the kids to the mountains.  4 kids + me.

It was a little spontaneous, not a lot of packing or planning.  I took the essentials (enough for 2 days), got in our mini-van & drove 2 hours to our favorite campground.  It was our final good-bye for the season, perhaps for many years, as we’ll be moving to Texas soon & who know’s where military life will take us.

When we arrived, another family showed up about the same time.  The other mom came over to our campsite & we started to chat, as women do.

“You all alone for the weekend with your kids?”  she asked.

“Yes.”

A little surprised, she said, “wow, good for you,” as if what I was doing was some hard task.

Caring for children is never an easy task, especially if your goals go beyond basic survival.  But I could not think of a better place to be with my kids.  I think in many ways it is easier to take care of them in the mountains, away from distractions, where life is simple & care free.

Our campsite was near a “mountain” (more like a really cool hill with lots of little foot trails & rocks to climb), & the kids spent a good deal of time climbing & roaming it’s paths.

I wanted to have some more educational moments, so we went on a nature scavenger hunt.  The kids loved discovering & collecting, comparing & contrasting with each other.

Here’s our list:

We also went to Sunrise, a point north of Mt. Rainier.  I had never been there before.

As always, I’m stunned by the beauty of that mountain.

Other things we did:  got rained on the second night (wasn’t quite prepared for that one–didn’t fully cover our tent with the waterproof cover, but we were okay), went for a hike, explored a river bed & river, rode scooters (made possible by paved roads in the campground), built a few fires (no pretenses here–I’m a horrible firestarter), popped popcorn over a fire, went star gazing, & read stories in a tent with a flashlight.

Yes, we get dirty.  Sleeping in a tent isn’t the most comfortable way to slumber & eating camp food (ie. food out of a can or box), isn’t ideal.  Despite this, I love it.  I love the experience of it.

And I’m going to miss it.

♥♥♥

Have you ever gone camping?
What’s your favorite part of going camping, or being out in nature?