Keep it Simple

For folks that have little experience camping, taking kids camping is a daunting task. A quick Google search revealed what I already expected. People make life way too complicated. From a natural history perspective, it has been a blink of an eye since sleeping outside in the elements was the norm.

Life is simpler around a fire

This past weekend we enjoyed a beautiful camping trip in Western North Carolina. After the trip I asked our kids “Wet-foot” (age: 7, boy) and “Soggy-bottom” (age:4, girl) about the adventure.

What is your favorite part about camping?

Wet-Foot: “Chopping wood with a hatchet and sleeping with the dogs.”

Soggy-Bottom: “Digging rocks and playing with dogs.”

What is your favorite thing to eat while camping?

Wet-foot : “Bacon and eggs”

Soggy-Bottom: “marshmallows”

What advice do you have for kids going camping for the first time?

Wet foot: “Dont chop your fingers off with the hatchet”

Soggy Bottom: “watch out for the roots that grab your toes on trails”

He started and finished the camping trip with ten fingers

From those answers you would have never guessed the activities that we packed into the trip. We hiked to waterfalls, picnicked in picturesque places, ate Wagyu beef burgers, and had perfect weather. We also had bathroom emergencies, rowdy camping neighbors, and a million trips to the campground bathroom.

Burgers and Camping...keep it simple

Driving back through the mountains and down the Blue Wall, I thought about how hard we make it to have fun with our kids. The pressure to make every event Pinterest worthy or a guaranteed success on an adventure can paralyze us from taking our kids into the outdoors.

Chances are, things won’t go as planned. That’s the fun part of it. Because at the end of the day as long as you have marshmallows, rocks, sticks, and a hatchet, you have all you need for a good camping trip.

Wet Foot and Soggy Bottom up to no good

-Philip