Girls gone wilderness

A few weeks ago my friend Jen called with a camping proposition. You see, Jen’s friend had secured an amazing campground for a weekend and had invited a bunch of families to join them in some outdoor fun. But it just so happened that our country club’s men’s season opener was that same weekend, and since Jen’s husband and Chris were on the same team, and because sleeping in the woods isn’t the best pregame, Jen planned to leave her son and Jason home and just bring her daughter, Marin. And being that they have enough camping gear for four people, Jen was generous enough to ask me if Taylor and I would join them. She had everything we needed, and she even scored a babysitter to watch Isaac and Luke the next morning while the guys golfed in the tourney. How could I say No?

It was a perfect opportunity for Taylor’s first camping experience. And a good refresher for me. I mean, other than when I was under the age of two, the only real camping trip I ever took was with my hometown bestie, Steph, and her family to the Black Hills when I was in junior high. So you can call me a bit of a camping novice. But, Hey! who’s up for an adventure?

And after overpacking the back of Chris’s car – We needed to cross two rivers to get into the campsite, so four-wheel drive was a necessity, I dropped Luke off at my hubba’s office and Taylor and I went and picked up Jen, Marin and a TON of gear for our 18-hour escapade, and made our way an hour south to our destination.

We drove through the woods and over the two rivers and got to our sweet site, which was a giant field surrounded by a beautiful stream in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest. It was perfect. And it had a bathroom. And a water pump and picnic tables and a grill. And our car was parked right next to where our tent went up, so it was great for the beginning camper. Because apparently you can’t bring food into your tent because the bears will try to get it. Um... THE BEARS WILL TRY TO GET IT. And why do people like camping so much?

But I digress. Our new home away from home was lovely and smelled like the woods, in a really good Yankee-candle kind of way. And after exploring the river with the girls, we went back to our site and watched Jen assemble the tent with just a smidge of our help.

After we got everything unpacked and settled, we then went on a mini-hike on the trail surrounding our campsite. And this is how my daughter walked through the woods:

Yep. Is she not the cutest diva hiker ever seen? She is my daughter. And even though we both prefer the beach over the wilderness, we’re always up for an exciting new journey.

And then it was time to join the other two families that were staying there that night by the fire for some dinner and s’mores.

Oh, how my daughter LOVES s’mores. As do I. And anyone else who has ever had them. Three simple ingredients that transform into the most delectable treat ever. Hooray for s’mores!

And then night fell and the adults watched as the kids chased each other in the field with headlamps and flashlights until they were all slow and cranky with one another. Which meant it was bedtime. Which meant it was time for lots and lots of glowsticks.

And after tucking in Taylor and Marin, Jen and I left the tent to return to the campfire for a while more, hearing Marin excitingly ask Taylor, Hey... Do you wanna talk about stuff? It was adorable. And I predict many future sleepovers between these two in the years to come. But, as with most little-kid slumber parties, there was very little sleep actually involved. In fact, I’m pretty sure the two girls didn’t close their eyes until around 11, and then we were up bright and early at 6. Which meant we had two tired, manic little misses on our hands.

So we enjoyed our breakfast and campfire coffee, and then packed up our gear and headed to a waterfall a few minutes away. We had originally planned on doing a hike before driving back to Asheville, but the girls were exhausted. So we made the short trek down some stairs at Looking Glass Falls and basked in all its beauty.

And then we made our hour long journey back home. We were all groggy, smelled like campfire and still had bits of marshmallow stuck in our hair. But it was unanimous that it was an awesome time. And after waking from our two hour nap that afternoon, I immediately started researching tents for our next camping trip. Who knew sleeping on the ground could be THAT fun? And a big thanks to Jen and Marin for inviting us to go with them... It was an adventure we will never forget.