I really thought because of all the mishaps following up to us leaving, this would be a crazy trip … However, it was fairly low key and proved that camping with a toddler is feasible and actually a lot of fun!
We got to the campsite and my lovely husband was complaining. Nice change, I’m usually the complainer. We got all set-up and noticed that if someone showed up to the site next to us, we would literally be on top of each other. I’m not a huge fan of strangers and still remember the camping trip we took on an anniversary years ago where the family right next to us had a boatload of rude children and one literally ran around our tent, got his foot caught in the tent rope and fell. Shook the whole tent and let’s just say, not a romantic anniversary weekend.
We got to see the forest rangers show-up in their bulletproof vests that night. I was wondering why they were walking into the trail by the dumpsters. I later found out they had a tranquilizer gun and were looking for a bear. Now, the bear around here are not grizzly’s. I mean, they aren’t Yogi either and so they need to be taken seriously. Like don’t leave your pic-i-nic basket in the tent, don’t go poke the bear, etc. But, I had to chuckle when a couple walked by and said under their breath, but loud enough to make a snarky comment I would hear, “let your dog run loose, they will become bear food.” I kept picturing this ninja bear jumping out of the forest. My dog is a pit mix. She sounds huge and scary. We would know if a bear was in the area.
We never saw the bear, I even went on a twilight hike with Abby the next evening and no bear. Chipmunks, no bear. We did possibly hear the bear trying to get into a dumpster that following night. I kept saying it would make cool footage for my adventure blog. The only bear noises we heard was my husband. He said, did you seriously think the bear was taking a nap in our tent?
The First Night-
That first night in the tent was the first night Abby had ever slept away from home … It was a little rough getting her to settle down. I was hoping for some quiet parent time by the fire … But, that didn’t happen Friday night or the rest of the trip. We all ended up going to bed at the same time and dealing with the mattress not being able to hold our weight. It was like being on the sea for two nights. We don’t have much luck with air mattresses …
The Next Day-
The next morning we started our hiking. I asked the hubby if he wanted to go and he said no. He wanted to spend his father’s day relaxing. So I took the dog and the little one and headed into the forest. My dog has been sick and injured so I have to really watch the degree of difficulty and distance with her. So we headed 3/4 of a mile in and followed this long winding stream up.
We spent time playing in the water and me making a wet turban from my long sleeve shirt because the temperature was quickly climbing. Then my daughter dumped her sweatpants in the water to be like mommy. So After attaching all wet stuff to pack and putting the child in too, I began heading back to camp.
Once back at camp, was when I thought I heard a bear, but it was just Brian. He got a magical spring in his step and decided to go drive to the other park up a little way and hike Bash Bish Falls. I’m glad my car made it as the computer keeps acting up and thinks my car is overheating. The fan goes on and everything. Very annoying.
Bash Bish Falls-
It was so touristy. We were the first ones there to have to park in overflow. Even though it was a fairly simple hike, my legs were burning as this was the second uphill hike in one morning. We got to cross the border into Massachusetts which was pretty cool and let Noodles splash in the water.
We made it the falls, and they were beautiful. Brian is more the worrier parent and didn’t want to do the steep stair climb down to the falls. So we headed back after he used the lovely Porta-Potty and we took pictures like all the other tourists and started hiking back. We let Abby stop and play with Noodles in safer water. It was so cold. She didn’t have a spare top, so I mavericked one of my bandannas. I put on social media that bandannas are for boo-boos and boobies. Then after a stop for pizza, we headed back to camp to eat it.
Back at the Site-
We hung out and relaxed. Brian took Abby to the beach and playground and let me nap. Napping wasn’t working too well as my dog kept barking at everything … But, it was awesome to just relax ALONE. It is one of those mom luxuries. I played with the fire and ate snacks without little fingers all in my food.
That evening, Abby decided she wanted to go on a hike and even got the pack. So we went on a short hike in the opposite direction we had gone on that morning. We walked around part of the lake and headed back. Another 1.5 miles. The woods start getting creepy as the sun is setting and less and less light is filtering through the trees.
At some point, people showed up next door on that Saturday. Like a whole big family that looked like they just arrived from the city. We would find out my guess was right, they were from Midtown Manhattan. But, they ended up being nice and we pretty much did our own thing. But, that night, their son came over and offered Abby S’mores, so we went over and ate S’mores. Well, not Brian, he doesn’t eat S’mores. I guess he’s watching his figure. Bhahahahaha.
Last Day of Camping Trip-
The next morning, we started packing up after our very unhealthy donuts breakfast. Then Abby went to the trunk and started tugging at my pack. You guessed it, another walk in the woods. So we did another 1.5-mile walk and found a small waterfall. I started following Noodles up this new trail … But it was so steep, I had to slide down on my hip with Abby on my back. We went back to camp, packed up and that was it.
Some other fun highlights–
Abby decided by night two that she didn’t want her little potty in woods. She wanted to use the big potty. I hadn’t taken there, so I am not sure how she knew where it was.
Learning and talking to other people can be very interesting. There was a man there that had fake flamingos and they all had names. Even though two he has at home. He had an awesome light show display. Stories courtesy Brian who chatted with him.
My daughter somehow learned that when she went to the cooler to get herself a juice box, she would also say “mommy drink” and bring me back a bottle of Redds. I seriously hardly drink, so I found that amusing.
Pack more clothes then you think you will need if camping with a tiny human
-Always pack extra things for a child to do and have backup activities planned. We did Yoga and made a nature craft.
This post is dedicated to my lovely Husband and dad! This camping trip was for him and he enjoyed it a lot. Happy Father’s day. Already planning the next camping trip!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our little journal entry. We also have some cool posts about topics on how to winter hike with children and an awesome child-carrier called the Freeloader allowing families to carry their child a lot longer beyond the toddler years. Our review is here. Thanks for stopping by!
