Family Camping Adventure

Our "new" family tent: Marmot Halo 6. We purchased it two
years ago and now it is finally getting some use!

Seth loves eating outside. We got home and he still wants to eat outside!

Our Jr. Paddler preparing to take on the white caps.

Seth and Dad being silly with Peanut Butter and Jelly lunch all over their faces!

Jason and I love the outdoors! That love has most certainly come naturally for Seth too. Over the weekend we spent two nights at Rice Lake State Park. (Click on name to learn more!) We brought along our canoe and stayed at a canoe-in site across the lake from the main campground. Aside from a family who came out for a long lunch we had the whole area to ourselves. It was wonderful, aside from the wind that is.

Seth was such a trooper the whole time. He loved helping set up the tent and even paddled when we were in the canoe. He led a few hikes, though we might need to teach him the value of sticking on the trail. He let us know that the sun would be out, that it was in fact windy, and pointed out any bugs he could find, of course, their were plenty. He even wanted to chop wood for a fire, but we had to keep him away from the hatchet, safety first! Seth seems destined to be a Jr. Naturalist!

There are numerous funny stories to tell, but our sleeping bag troubles seem to stick out the most to me. Maybe since I finally got a comfortable night sleep last night.

Our son normally gets in bed around 7 pm (I know, I know but it works for our kid!). We knew this of course would be difficult in a tent as the sun barely sets by 9 pm. Thus with open minds we cleaned up supper, went for a hike and then all headed into the tent for some quiet time. (It was so windy we all just wanted to get out of the wind anyway!) During this quiet time Seth decided that he liked Daddy's Z-rest or Therm-a-rest (a fantastic sleep mat for camping - click on word for more info). Seth decided it was a "bumpy road" and wanted to drive his tractor on it. No problem, let that go on for a bit, it was a quiet activity. We read some books, sang a few songs, then more with the tractor and the bumpy road.

Then he proclaimed he was sleeping in mom's sleeping bag. I knew in my mind that there would be no happy ending to that, but just wanted to get him to sleep so around 9pm he crawled in with me. After losing half the skin on my thighs to his toenails and getting kicked in the gut enough times to cause stomach cramps, I got out and slept in Seth's sleeping bag. He fell promptly asleep in my "bag" and I was left in big trouble!

Now to fully understand sleeping bags you must know that there is a difference between your everyday Coleman sleeping bag and a Marmot mummy sack, which I own. The difference is the one who sleeps in the "real" sleeping bag, being a Marmot (or similar expedition style brand) is the one who actually sleeps. Not only sleeps but is also comfortable! We figured a little boy would not notice the difference, but apparently he is much smarter than we think. He knows quality when he sees it and that is why on night two when we let him sleep in mom's bag he slept all night (9pm-8am) without waking or complaining!

Now mom on the other hand handled the inferior bag as long as possible and then traded with dad who also has a "real" sleeping bag, warm and inviting. Dad used Seth's bag for a few hours and then proclaimed that we would have a ceremonial burning of said bag! It was really that bad! The heat your body produces should stay in the bag keeping you warm. In Seth's Coleman the heat just dissipated leaving you cold, no frozen would be a better term. It almost felt as if the wind was blowing right through your shorts!

All in all, sleeping and wind aside, we had a great weekend with many memories. If you are someone who hates camping, I tell you this. Buy some real gear and you will find a new fondness for the outdoors. Check out Marmot to see what a "real" sleeping bag looks like. I have a women's Helium by Marmot which rates to 15 degrees a weighs under two pounds. (Click on Helium for the link.) It is amazing! Put that on a Z-rest and you can sleep great, of course you must also buy both for your child or no matter how comfortable you are, you will not be sleeping!