Summer recap: backpacking

Gabe exploring camp

My cousins have been begging us to go camping with them since they moved to NC. I camped fairly frequently as a kid, and Mike was a Boy Scout, but I don't think he's camped much since, and I haven't been since undergrad. Ben is of the opinion (and I can't fault him) that if you're going to camp, you should see some good scenery and not the backs of cars and RVs; therefore, instead of slowly getting our feet wet with some car camping, we dove in with a backpacking trip and a toddler.

During the last week of May, we ventured out with Team B for a night of backpacking at Shinleaf at Falls Lake State Park. It was a pretty short hike into the site (somewhere between a quarter and a half mile), but we picked a site close to the lake (and the vault toilet, which was critical with 2 kids under 6). Gabe walked most of the way himself (backpack and all), and we managed to get a fire started and the tents set up before it got dark. We had a short first night; by the time we got the kids to sleep, we just went to sleep ourselves.

After the early night, the kids were up early, so we spent the morning hiking to the lake and relaxing in the hammock. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and snack and then packed out before lunch. Gabe barely made it back to the car; I carried him most of the way back, and he was asleep for a late nap before we even left the parking lot. In all, it was a great first experience. We managed to stay tick-free, and Gabe didn't run (too far) away, although he was very interested in going out onto the trail "by myself".

Gabe and Mike at Falls Lake

Checking out the wildlife at Falls Lake