Sunday, April 26, 2009

Into the wild

This weekend was Emma's Brownie troop's campout. We left Friday right after school and didn't get back until Sunday morning. To be honest, I was dreading the whole thing. I used to be a card-carrying member of the Sierra Club and have done a lot of camping over the years. But, at least for me, when you turn 40, a shower, flush toilet and other amenities become more important. This was going to be roughing it...we were going to sleep on little cots in perma-tents (great for my back!) and our facilities consisted of an open-air shower and a latrine.

But now that we've returned, I have to say, we had a great time (not that I'm not happy to be back at home with my flush toilet and comfortable bed.)

Anyway, a short recap...here is our little open-air cabin where we slept...


We bunked with Emma's best friend Emme and her mom, so that was nice. Here are the two girls shortly after we unpacked...


It seems like the majority of our time was spent building fires, preparing meals and cleaning up after meals. Here's Emma doing our dishes after dinner one night (doing dishes consisted of dumping everything in a mesh bag and dunking it in buckets of water.)


The first night there, we made a big fire and the girls roasted marshmallows for s'mores...yum!


The first night, I have to admit, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. It was nice sleeping out in the open air, but the cot was pretty uncomfortable and I tossed and turned all night. The adults all got up at 6 am to make the girls a special "jungle breakfast" (apples, bananas and bagels, which we tied up in bandanas and put up in the trees for them to get.) Shockingly, I was not walking around like Quasimodo when I got up - my back somehow survived sleeping on a 1-inch matress.

We went on a long nature hike, did some badge work and then it was our team's turn on wood-gathering duty...


A few more pictures from the day...






I did sleep much better the second night - although probably not more than 5 hours. Then it was packing up this morning and time to head home. But time for one more picture of an extremely tired mommy (in desperate need of a hot shower!) and her little Brownie scout...

12 comments:

Kim said...

Sounds like you had a great time..
I would want a hot shower also..
Have a great week..
LOVE the photos..

Missy said...

While I am not an outdoorsy girl, I must say, I am envious of the adventure you and Emma shared. You girls made memories to last a lifetime. You caught SO many great images of your weekend and I LOVE the mommy/daughter pic...precious!

Lisa and Tate said...

FUN!!!! I LOVE camping... at least until sleeping. Really need a decent bed. What a trooper you were to rough it. Oh, the things we do for our gals!

Anonymous said...

So nice to see a photo of mother and daughter in there. Looks like roughing it to me, but sure seemed like fun!

Debbie said...

Looks like a tired, but fun weekend. It's great that you were able to go with Emma and experience the camping together...what a good mom! Emma is adorable as ever.

C's Mom said...

You are one tough cookie, mom. I think it is safe to say I have become a tad spoiled by indoor plumbing and controlled climates myself!

All the same, it does look like it was a great experience for you both.

Super Mommy said...

HA! Can't wait to camp next year when Jade becomes a Brownie. We are wrapping up her second year as a Daisy in May.

I bet the girls had a blast!

Joan said...

Sounds like alot of fun and you guys had good weather too. It looks like Emma had a blast! What a nice memory you guys made for each other. :-)

Jboo said...

Fun times -- love your photos! What a great Mom you are to go on that camping trip! The dunking of dishes takes me back to my Girl Scout days!

Hope you have a great week.

Janet

Donna said...

Looks like you had a blast. My 1st grader can't wait to go camping with her Brownies troop. We have a date, but unfortunately it's not until October.

Special K said...

You might just win a mom award for sleeping in that cabin on a cot. LOL! But it looks like great memories were made for you both. That's what matters most. :)

Christi and Abbey said...

You are a greater woman than I. Anything that might involve a spider - count me out. Emma must have loved it . Good for you!