One thing for sure that spending time camping with your family will produce is "memorable moments". Some are good, some are not so good, but I think for most of us, most of them are great.
But that's not what this is about, don't worry about picking the best or the worst, just pick a memorable moment and tell us about it. It doesn't have to be earth shattering, just a memory. If you want to go for earth shattering then please feel free by all means, but there's no pressure here just pick the first memory that comes to mind. After you post a memory, feel free to come back and post another one anytime something comes to mind.
Here, I'll start.
One weekend we were camping in a campground in Mississippi far away from any cities or towns of any real size so the night sky were a stargazers dream. It was in the fall/winter so the nights were cold and the sky was crystal clear. On the way up to the campground I had heard on the radio that that weekend was going to be one of the biggest meteor showers of the year and best viewing would be between 2:00 am and 4:00am. Well I asked if anyone was interested in waking up in the middle of the night to see this and I got no takers. I was a little bummed out, but I decided I was going to wake up everyone anyway and they woulkd thank me later for it.
Well when it was time I got up and preparred enough hot chocolate for everyone and poured it into a thermus bottle(sp). I grabbed extra blankets and threw them in the van and then I started waking everyone up and coaxed them all into the van and we drove to a big clearing near the entrance of the campground. There were already 5 or 6 other vehicles out there. At first the shooting stars were slow, but as it got closer to 2:00 am it really picked up. By then everyone in was fully awake sipping hot choclate and watching the show. When I looked around I saw that there were now about 15 vehicles and we were all sitting on our cars oohing and awhing. I looked at my family and they all had their eyes glued to the sky with big smiles on their faces.
It was a night I'll always remember.
Now your turn.
CajunCamper
We went for a long weekend up to Ely, Minnesota a couple years ago. There we met up with Rae (a.k.a. SpiritDeer, whom some of the old timers may remember).
One of the things we did while there was to go on a "wolf howl." With a pair of trained interpreters, we were trained in how to houl, then went to a variety of places where wolves have been known to respond, and tried to elicit a howl from wild wolves. We were told that they get responses on 50-75% of their outings, so we were prepared for a no-show by the wolves.
On our first stop, PJay was selected to lead off the howl...and the wolves responded instantly. They were no more than 150 yards away, and agitated by our presence. After our second howl, the guides stated that the wolves appeared more agitated than normal and chose to remove us from the situation.
The next evening, we were sitting by the campfire, and in the quiet, off in the distance but very clear, we heard a pack of wolves start howling.
Next.
Austin
Tent Camping in Yosemite with a GF back in the fall of '90 in a CG on the Tuoleme Meadows side of the park. Middle of the night there was a tremendous crack sound from the earth and then a huge earthquake. The earthquake epicenter was not far away and there we were, in sleeping bags, riding it out. The ground trembled beneath us for rest of the night. Scared the living :yikes: out of us. The next morning we woke up to fine roads closed, huge rock slides and all sorts of other damage throughout the park.
And a family moment...
Wading into the Colorado River last August with my 8 year old DD at the bottom of the Grand Canyon so she could take a sample of water and silt home with her as a trophy for hiking to the bottom.
Camping at Acadia National Park in Maine a couple of summers ago in mid-August. They had recently opened the Precipice Trail. 11 yo DD and I climbed it at DD's urging. It was a grueling, yet beautiful hike. The "trail" was a 1,000 feet vertical climb, straight up. Well, the top 200 feet kind of rounded over toward the end. She had no fear, scampering over ledges, switchbacks and ladder climbs. That scared me. We arrived at the top safely and spent some time at the summit. I don't think I've ever seen her so introspective and quiet as she is on top of a mountain.
(Trying to insert image. Doesn't seem to be working.)
Here's a link:
http://family.webshots.com/photo/2082508290089390752WPfnfv (//%22http://family.webshots.com/photo/2082508290089390752WPfnfv%22)
She loved the hat. Bought it on that trip. Haven't seen it in a while.
(http://family.webshots.com/photo/2082508290089390752WPfnfv)
Wow...so many moments to choose from.
I have to admit that the first one I thought about was at the 2002 PUT Eastern Rally in Townsend, TN. There were several great moments, but we spent one long evening with Gene, Terry, and their daughter, sipping hot chocolate and coffee. Their daughter is now a nurse, which is fun to think back on, since she was (I think) a sophomore in HS.
Next.
Larry
That rally did have many special moments Larry. Meeting everyone was a great experience. Plus it was our first experience camping in such a populated CG and with hookups.
Have to agree with Larry and Marcy, that Rally was one big blast
Amazing how that came about with someone suggesting it and people stepping in to get it organized.
If I remember right, it was about 185 people enjoying themselves and finally being able to put a face with an online name.
Quote from: ForestCreatureThat rally did have many special moments Larry. Meeting everyone was a great experience. Plus it was our first experience camping in such a populated CG and with hookups.
And you were the first person we met, not at the campground, but the really important place, at the Lodge factory outlet store!
OOPS...that makes two...do I have to delete this?
Austin
Quote from: AustinBostonAnd you were the first person we met, not at the campground, but the really important place, at the Lodge factory outlet store!
OOPS...that makes two...do I have to delete this?
Austin
No post as many memorable moments from your camping adventures as you would like and let us know about them.
CajunCamper
My wife had never camped until after we got married. We had been married about 7 months when she said she wanted to get away for the weekend. Well being newly weds, we didn't have much cash and without much cash we didn't have many options, so I suggested camping. She wrinkled her nose and exclaimed Camping? We can't go camping, we don't have any camping gear. Well I explained to her that all of my camping gear was safely stored away at my parent's house. She said "I've never been camping before and what if I hate it?" I told her that I would do all the work. I would pack for the trip, pick a campground nearby, I would set up camp, do all the cooking and all she had to do was keep an open mind. I told her that if she didn't like camping, we would brake camp and come back home. She agreed.
Well long story short, we arrived and set up camp in a beautiful site next to the lake, the weather was in the mid to upper 70's during the day and in the mid 50's at night without a cloud in the sky the whole weekend. We ate good food, enjoyed nice campfires at night, took long hikes and soaked up the outdoors. When it was time to go home, she asked me when we could go camping again and I knew that she had been hooked.
This was probably the most important camping trip of my life because if she had not liked it, camping would probably not have been as big a part of our lives as it has been. And that would have been sad.
CajunCamper
Our best PU camping moment occurred when we camped in Sept. in MI during the elk rut. From 5 PM till 5AM amorous elk bugled non stop along with coyotes howling. On daily excursions we seen numerous elk, deer, and other smaller wildlife. It was like being in a wildlife movie. Combine that with gourmet meals cooked over a wood fire, and, a good wine, and well you get the picture.......shredder
Quote from: AustinBostonWe went for a long weekend up to Ely, Minnesota a couple years ago. There we met up with Rae (a.k.a. SpiritDeer, whom some of the old timers may remember).
One of the things we did while there was to go on a "wolf howl." With a pair of trained interpreters, we were trained in how to houl, then went to a variety of places where wolves have been known to respond, and tried to elicit a howl from wild wolves. We were told that they get responses on 50-75% of their outings, so we were prepared for a no-show by the wolves.
On our first stop, PJay was selected to lead off the howl...and the wolves responded instantly. They were no more than 150 yards away, and agitated by our presence. After our second howl, the guides stated that the wolves appeared more agitated than normal and chose to remove us from the situation.
The next evening, we were sitting by the campfire, and in the quiet, off in the distance but very clear, we heard a pack of wolves start howling.
Next.
Austin
Or maybe it was another group of trained campers?
-Speak
Too many to choose from...
There was the time we almost lost our daughter, Emily. It was early spring in upstate, NY, and I was trout fishing by a fast-moving and very cold stream. This particular part of the stream was "developed," which means that it had man-made banks of pressure-treated lumber, gravel, and hardware cloth. Did I mention that it was early spring and the water was ice-cold?
Three-year old Emily was standing by while I fished. I hooked a fish that I hoped would be a monster. While fighting it in toward shore I realized it was not a trout but a sucker. As I landed it, I let my disappointment be known, and just as I did that, Emily was backing away in fear. She backed right over the bank and into the rushing water! There is a little debate about whether she completely disappeared, but I'm pretty sure she did. I responded faster than instantly and reached in and grabbed her by the top of her hood. I yanked her out before she even fully realized what had happened.
Needless to say, we had to head for home for some warmer, dryer provisions. She is now nearly 28, and is going to be married next month. Over the weekend we were reminiscing about this event. It's memorable all right.
-Speak
One trip that seems to come up fairly often is our last camping trip in the Tetons and Yellowstone before we moved from Utah to Georgia. We were tent camping, and one night found us by the shore of the big lake in Yellowstone park. I woke up to the sound of snorting and chewing, and the sight of a HUGE buffalo head pushing on my side of the tent! Our tent was right on top of some tasty grass, apparently. I woke my husband up (when I climbed over him and shoved him over) and told him what was happening; he sleepily responded "Well buffalo don't eat meat, so go back to sleep."
A couple days later we were in the Tetons, paddling our rented canoe around Jenny Lake. We decided to picnic on one of the small islands in the middle of the lake and paddled over to one. After lunch we were wading in the water (cold, glacier-melt water) and I noticed that my legs and feet were COVERED with leeches. ICK!!! Not something you expect to deal with in frigid water! I had a major league meltdown (can't stand creepy crawly things) so hubby had to pick all the leeches of me, then he had to pick 'em off his own legs without any help from me 'cause I was still busy doing the heebie jeebie dance.
Quote from: Tiffany... I had a major league meltdown (can't stand creepy crawly things) so hubby had to pick all the leeches of me, then he had to pick 'em off his own legs without any help from me 'cause I was still busy doing the heebie jeebie dance.
:yikes: That is soooooooooooo nasty. :yikes:
We were camping along the AuSauble river in northern MI at one of our favorite easy to get to SF CGs
We (DH and I) were sitting up late ( around 1 or 2 am) enjoying a warm summers night. Every once in a while I felt like something was crawling on me...no biggie, just brush off and keep on enjoying. After about a half hour of the creepy crawly feeling it was time to turn on a lantern.
In the thousands (or at least hundreds) there were Walking Sticks EVERYWHERE...on the camper, us , falling out of the trees in numbers we had never imagined!
We returned back to that CG with another couple 2 weeks later and the same thing again! But this time it was even funnier because the guy was terrified of them and would not come out from under the quickshade for 2 nights!
It's never happened again since then.
During our rookie year we were camping near an amusement park. After a wonderful day at the park the clouds rolled in around 6pm and the rain was torrential! We continued having fun at the park, after all it was summer and warm, we'll we were soaked.
On the shuttle bus ride back my wife reminded me we left the windows unzipped on the pop up. During the 15 min ride back we prepared ourselves for the worst. We opened the door and the flaps were all closed. We were thrilled and puzzled. A knock on the door and we opened to our neighbor camper who explained that she wasn't sure how we'd feel about a stranger coming in, but knew she would appreciate if someone had come in to zip their flaps in a similar situation.
We couldn't have been happier! Only our third outing and we got to experience what makes campers so special.
What a delightful thread!
I've camped since I was 10 years old -- over 40 years ago (whew!). But I have to say that this past summer's 8-day trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon was by far the most memorable camping trip ever.
While the brochures do a lovely job of describing the thrill of the rapids and beauty of the Canyon, there's absolutely NO way to prepare for the absolutely staggering raw beauty of one of the most untouched National Parks in the country. And to be so completely removed from all vestiges of society for that amount of time truly allows a person to unwind.
What I really liked about the trip was the way we had to live within the rhythm of the Canyon -- going to bed when it was dark and getting up with the sun. No campfires are allowed, so hanging around with flashlights just isn't much fun. And after a day of floating down the River we were actually pretty tired. It was HOT, and sleeping inside a tent wasn't a good idea, so we'd throw our bags on the sand & have the most incredible view of the sky one could imagine. Add to that the constant sound of the Colorado River nearby, we actually slept like babies.
There were so many "firsts" on that trip ... so many experiences that I'd pay to do again in a heartbeat. I look at my pictures regularly & even have one as my desktop background picture. It was wonderful ...
I posted a bunch of pictures after I took the trip, but here are 2 that capture the essence of my experience:
The raft we were on was about 30 feet long & there were actually 16 people on it at the time this picture was taken. Some of them are in a bit of a "trough" in the rapids:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/AzusaTeach/Grand%20Canyon/2841601573_6cbd59f908_b.jpg)
A view of the River and Canyon from one of our campsites. I never grew tired of those magnificent red walls:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/AzusaTeach/Grand%20Canyon/IMG_1723.jpg)
Great pictures and I feel the same way about the GC. Looks like you guys went during their monsoon season, since the river is running muddy red instead of blue/green. That place gets under your skin. We hiked to the bottom and back 2 years ago and were so captivated by the experience that we returned last year with our 8 year old DD....and we're going back this year and hiking rim-to-rim with her. It's an unbelievable place.
I have a tie between:
Assateague National Seashore. The scene: full moon, campfire on the beach with husband and sons (ages 12 & 10), beach was just a walk over the dune from our campsite), and watching the International Space Station fly overhead (I was alerted by spaceweather.com).
Delaware Seashore State Park. The scene: 11:00 at night after a h*llish 5-hour drive during rush hour in late October (takes 2.5 hours during the daytime when we usually leave). We arrived to find that the bathrooms closest to our site were locked; we chose to pack it all up and move after cranking up, etc. We made some Campbell's soup for the boys; they ate it outside under our canopy (as it was raining). The boys decided they wanted to ride their bikes. I would never let them ride at night during "the season" there, but there were only about 7 other campers and we could see the entire premises so we said ok. They rode their bikes (playing 'cops and robbers') for an hour (we made sure they weren't loud and disturbing others). Just sitting outside under the canopy and relaxing after such a grueling drive (and moving the camper after the initial setup) was wonderful in itself. Having a couple drinks and watching the boys do something they could never do at home (riding bikes late at night without danger of being hit by a car) and their laughter was an experience we'll never forget.
We camped on the canadian side of Niagra Falls when the kids were younger. Our site was right at a speed bump in the roadway. My two ornery kids sat around the fire at night striking up conversations with people walking by to see how many they could get to trip on the speed bump! No one fell...and it was quite entertaining (even though it wasn't very nice).