We’ve been hoping to go camping since the beginning of the summer but it hasn’t worked out for various reasons.  Given the cooperating weather forecast, we were finally able to go this past weekend.

Given that it was a ‘trip’ I am grouping all 3 days together 🙂

My hubby and I planned to work only 1/2 day on Friday so that we could get an early start out. Best laid plans….

In any case we packed up ( which was not so difficult given our prep on Wed night) and we headed out to one of our favourite camping spots: Cumberland Bay ( Plattsburgh).

We got to the campground later than we had hoped but everyone cooperated and we got everything up in no time ( Tent #1- for sleeping, Tent #2- for storage & dressing room, and our pop-up gazebo ( except that we forgot the screen walls in Montreal)

The weekend involved early morning walks on the beach, hanging out & swimming at the beach, me starting to read again after a long hiatus and even an afternoon nap for me (unheard of!).

There was sandcastle building, football and kite flying.  There were games of Banagrams and there were even some squirrels who doing the wild thing…(with an attempted 3rd party joiner or attacker…we couldn’t figure out which! ).

Of course there was also yummy food…and yes, of course there was a campfire with roasted marshmallows & S’mores! Finally, although I do not have photo documentation…there was definitely Jiffy Pop!

I’ll let the pics tell the tale  🙂

We were even lucky in that it wasn’t particularly buggy ( we still used spray).  That said, we were all still anxious about ticks. That’s probably the part of camping that I like the least.

It’s worth mentioning that we choose to go the ‘easier’ route by choosing campgrounds with good washroom & shower facilities. We also spring for sites with water & electricity – this makes it easier 🙂

While camping can be a lot of prep and work, once the kids are old enough to pitch in (and that is likely younger than you realize), it gets easier and easier. We haven’t gone in years and now that the kids are even older, it was even easier. I’m also not kidding when I say that camping can double as a team-building exercise for families.

And let me tell you that once you are set up, there’s really nothing quite like it.

By the way, if you think that all the set up will be too much, or you’r not inclined to invest in & store all of the gear, you may want to consider “Glamping’ ( Glamourous Camping )…we did it last year & you can read about it here: Our Family Glamping Trip at SEPAQ

All in all,  being outdoors in the fresh air, all day & all night does a body…and soul…and mind…and family… GOOD.

This trip was definitely a very special part of our #61DaysOfSummer.

Tanya