Annual Fall Family Camping Trip

Started by hcrum87hc, October 27, 2022, 13:29:19 PM

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hcrum87hc

I typically piggy back on J's kiddo camping threads, but figured I'd create my own this time. We typically do a camping trip in the fall and the spring as a family, and we have some friends with kids the same age as ours who usually tag along.  I slacked on getting a site booked this year, and by the time I thought to do it, most of our usual haunts were booked out.  I managed to get a couple sites at a campground we've only been to once years ago before we had kids, which turned out to be a very nice little campground.

The weather was a bit chilly, with highs in the mid 60s and high 30s/low 40s at night, but everyone did a good job toughing it out.  Thankfully my wife had the forethought to pack the snow bibs for the kiddos, which kept them toasty and avoided some tears, which the other family had to deal with.

I got up there a bit earlier than the family and proceeded to set up camp.  They and the other family arrived shortly after, and we enjoyed a dinner of white chicken chili with homemade cornbread followed by s'mores.  After the kids went to bed, heavily bundled and covered in blankets, we talked by the fire for a bit before bed.  At 1am my oldest woke up cold, as she'd slid off her sleeping pad and was lying directly on the tent floor.  I got her back on the pad and threw another blanket on her then slipped out to pee.  When I came back in, she decided she needed to pee, so we took a trip to the bathroom. 
 
The girls have taken up Go Fish and Slap Jack, which they enjoyed playing after breakfast Saturday morning, which consisted of a casserole we warmed over the fire.  I don't know what sort of crack she puts in it, but my wife makes a killer breakfast casserole.  I'm not sure it'd compete with J's pizzas though.
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Our friends usually bring some instant coffee and their jet boil to provide some much needed caffeine and warmth.  Here's said friend with his cup Saturday morning.  I swear that cup of coffee was the best one I've ever had.  It provided some much needed warmth on a freezing morning.

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Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures as I left my phone in the truck on airplane mode since we didn't get any service, but my wife took a few.  We went on a short "hike" before lunch around the campground and checked out the river.  The kids loved exploring and we watched a few older gentlemen hammer a single hole on this DH section of river.

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After the walk, we had lunch, and my wife and oldest chilled while I rigged up my fly rod after the youngest went down for her nap.  My oldest has been begging to go fishing for a while, and this was an opportune time.

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I had her practice casting before we went down to the river.  She got the gist of it pretty quick, and we were off, sadly without my phone.

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At first we walked down to the bridge from the previous pictures where I'd seen some stockers feeding on top.  I threw a stimmy at them a few times, and they'd come check it out and then turn their noses up.  This whole time my oldest was amusing herself by simply dropping the bobber on the end of her line into the water and reeling it back in. 

I decided to switch the stimmy for a smaller para adams.  While I was doing this, my oldest rears back and lobs that bobber about 30 feet downstream. I was stunned.  Apparently she'd been practicing after dropping the bobber in while I had been fishing.  She started lobbing that thing all over the place and was tickled pink.  I asked if she wanted to put on a real lure (I had some inline spinners for her), but she said no, she just wanted to cast.  That suited me.  If she's having fun, she'll want to come back.

Anyways, after tying on the para adams and watching her cast a bit, I threw back in for the nearest feeding trout.  As soon as the fly got to it, it sipped it in.  I set the hook and started towards the end of the bridge where I could get down to the water with kid in tow.  Poor stocked brookie had no fight in it. It felt like dragging a leaf across the water that you'd managed to snag.  I unhooked it and took it up for her to check out, as she'd never seen a trout up close before.  She poked it, giggle, and I released it, where it swam into cover adjacent the nearest rock.  My girl could see it from the bridge and was throwing her bobber to it with surprising accuracy. 

I tried to entice a few more of the stockers I could see from the bridge, but they'd do no more than check the fly out and pass on it.  I had another taker but pulled it out of its mouth when I set the hook.  We walked down stream a bit to where I'd seen some fish stacked up earlier.  There was a group of 12 or so I could see, but they actively moved away from any fly I tossed to them.  It was the damnedest thing I've seen. I'm guessing they were recently stocked and still in shock.  I've seen that behavior once before from stockers that had been stocked the day before.  They stayed clumped up and wouldn't touch a thing. 

On the walk back to the site, she wanted to stop and cast where we'd seen the group of fishermen earlier.  It was a pretty stretch of river, and we fished/casted for a bit and then found some rocks to sit on and just chat and enjoy the tranquility together.  I asked her as we got up to head back to camp why she's so awesome.  Her response was simply a giggle and, "You know why," which, in our house means "God made me this way."

We got back to camp, and the youngest was still resting but woke up shortly after returning.

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That night we enjoyed some pulled pork, green beans, and mac and cheese over the fire.  The kiddos went to bed a bit easier and slept much more soundly.  My wife got up with them around 5am for a bathroom trip however.  Couple of goofballs.

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They let me sleep in a bit, and my friend was astounded when he came over to start the fire for breakfast, but my wife had already started one, which she's become very proud of being able to do.  The kids enjoyed more card games, and we had breakfast burritos that morning.

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One of the highlights for the girls was discovering that granddaddy long legs are harmless.  My usually timid, avoid anything to do with bugs oldest girl loved playing with this one while we packed everything up.

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(No, she didn't pull its legs off)

Until next time! (next weekend)
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Jeremiah 17:7

Woolly Bugger

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

greg


Big J

Nice trip.  Hard to beat getting the kids and family outdoors for a weekend.