Wylie's First Camping Trip

Wyatt and I took Wylie to one of our favorite places in the country this past weekend for his first camping trip. We headed to Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a weekend of camping at the Big Meadows. I have no pictures to document the trip but here are a few highlights from the weekend.

Weather:
Daytime--104F at base of mountain in Luray, VA. 100F at summit
Nighttime--90F at base of mountain in Luray, VA. 70 to 80F at summit

Elevation:
3557 Feet at Big Meadows
400 foot descent and then climb to Dark Hollow Falls

Campsite:
Friday--Big Meadows Campsite #17 --walk in campsite -- not far from car and really not a walk in site as it could very easily be a car park site. It was very poorly situated for hammock tent and regular tent to catch any breeze. Required us to break camp etiquette and walk through another campsite to get to ours as the path literally lead through the other site. NO SHADE what so ever, on a 15degree down slope. We also had two large camping groups near us that were having a great time camping with tiki torches and the like which included loud laughter late into the night. One visit from a raccoon late in the night catching Wyatt by surprise. 


Saturday--Big Meadows Campsite #36--walk in campsite--deep in the woods this time. Wyatt scouted it out for hammock trees and shade, lots of shade. We had a family of deer camping in the site very close to us --they all but set up a tent--which meant we had to wait at times for them to move from the path as we walked to the campsite or the bathroom. We also had Chip, Dale and their cousins joining us at times near the site. Other fun visitor that caused a bit of a raucous...Pepe le Pew. He was big, interested in our site and then our neighbors and then ours and then our neighbors and then our tent and then the deer. A bit further from the bathrooms but not a big deal.


Hikes:
Dark Hollow Falls--1.6 mile hike round trip down to the falls and back up. The descent to the falls from the trail head is a total of 400 feet which means the return is a bit steep. This is one of the moderate hikes and Wylie received quite a few "Good Jobs" and "Wows" as we were returning. We found a really cool (temperature and view and just in general) pool of water among the stream that fed the falls about half way down the trail. We noticed there were a few fish in the pool. We hiked the remainder of the way down to the falls and enjoyed a nice rest and view.

The thought of beginning our ascent was daunting but as we began it was clear that the hardest part of the climb was the first 1/3 mile up. We stopped at our pool for a break and a snack. The heat starting kicking in at this point and Wylie was a bit tired but the snack and rest gave him the energy to finish the hike. We noted some great trail markers along the way, neat ferns in the forest, and more fish and mini-waterfalls.

Story of the Forest (in reverse)--1.6 mile hike through the forest from the campground to the Visitor Center. Wylie was given a scavenger hunt book at the Visitor Center with things to look for along the hike. These included a three trunked tree, an air conditioner tree, a restaurant for Monarch butterflies, and fungus to name a few.  We did this hike in the late afternoon before we moved campsites to avoid some of the heat as it was deep in the forest and mostly shaded.

We brought water and Scooby snacks with us on this hike. As we made our way through the forest we were lucky enough to see a doe and her fawn walking through the forest. We stopped to watch and not disturb them knowing the mother was indeed watching us and waiting to see what we would do. We were then lucky to have both of them leap right in front of us as they bounded through the forest. Wylie was in awe and amazed at the speed and height the deer reached.

Meals:
Friday Campfire--Smores over the open fire!
Saturday Morning--Pancakes over the backpacker stove
Saturday Lunch--At the Wayside in semi-cool air. Wyatt had pulled pork and a blackberry milk shake, Wylie had fruit and a few fries, I had a VA ham and cheese. Wylie and I had Spongbob ice pops after outside in the shade.
Saturday snack after the hike through the woods--Blackberry ice cream for me, Chocolate for Wylie and Wyatt along with gatorade for all.
Saturday Dinner--Hotdogs and beans on the grill at the new campsite in the SHADE!!!!!!!! Potato chips and water.
Saturday Campfire--Smores over the open fire!

A couple of fun highlights from the trip.
1. When we moved campsites we didn't breakdown the tent. We merely put it on top of the truck and drove it to the new site and then carried it into the woods. We were quite a sight to be seen, especially since I was running behind the truck making sure the tent didn't go flying.
2. It is incredibly tough to stay positive while camping in 100F weather with a 5 year old who wants to remain camping but is exhausted and tired. We did however find a way to make a change that changed EVERYONE for the better.
3. Skunks, Raccoon, Deer, Fawn, Chipmunks, Owls, Turkey Vultures and Bumble Bees are really super cool. Especially deer that have antlers. It's a bummer to continually hear about the bears and read about the bears and have to lock up your food because of the bears but then never even see one. --this according to a 5 year old.
4. No matter how hot it is outside by the time you wake up in the morning in a tent you still need your sleeping bag.

The final take on this trip is that Wylie has asked when we are going camping again. We keep telling him when it is cooler. He keeps wondering if it's soon.

I'm looking into dates and hoping it doesn't end up being another scorcher!