April 2, 2017 |
All of a sudden, despite my childhood tales, James has decided that we are a camping family!
James may be a tough hiker, but he has never wanted to camp. He’ll happily climb up 1,000 m or more, run a half marathon before breakfast, doesn’t need a trail … but come night time, he likes his comforts. A beer, a shower, a good meal, a comfy bed.
“When I was young, we always camped,” I’ve been known to say. “Before there were foam mattresses even. We had to collect bracken to sleep on. That didn’t really make the ground much softer. Or warmer. Sometimes the tent leaked too. Well, flooded more like.”
The older I get, the more amazed I am by my mum and dad. They carried all our stuff – the tent, the billy and stove, the food. Water too. The gear was much heavier back then, and way less user friendly. And we went on long walks sometimes – a week at a time in Tasmania, for example. The weather was often bad, they’d have to put up the tent each evening, then pack it up each morning, all while cooking each meal in the bush. I’m not sure I could do it now.
But I’m going to have to! All of a sudden, despite my childhood tales, James has decided that we are a camping family! The main impetus is our trip to the Canadian Rockies this summer. I’d suggested we could go camping there, and this time the idea took hold.
James spent many evenings researching gear, and for the past few weeks parcels of different shapes and sizes have been arriving . We now have: a tent (lovingly waterproofed), new backpacks, a stove, a pot, a water filter, air mattresses, camping cups and cutlery, walking poles, bear bags … and a thermos for me, so I can have my morning cuppa.
It’s not just camping gear either: the kids have also got rock climbing helmets and harnesses. We’re all set for a summer of hiking, camping and via ferrata!
But before then, James wants to test the tent. And I, with not so fond memories of camping meals, want to test the food.
Today we went on a recce, scouting out a nearby forest for a good camping spot. I’ve been way too inactive lately, so it was lovely to get out for a brisk walk in the forest.
With the site now chosen, we just need a menu… and a spare weekend to actually camp there. I’ll keep you posted!