The Usual Susspects » camping

Camp Rescue Mission

Mike — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:34:00 +0000

We picked Maegan up at camp yesterday. It was a three hour trip. We got there an hour early yet we still only managed to be the fourth car in line. Before the gates opened the line of cars was literally beyond sight down the mountain road. While we waited for the gates to open Darah pet the farm animals, including goats, a pot-bellied pig, and the world’s only “Appalachian Battle Donkeys” . We also watched from a distance as they launched model rockets into the sky as part of the final camp activity for the week.

Maegan had a great time at camp, but she still missed home. She said to Patty in a letter home, “be prepared, because I’m going to come flying into your arms as hard and fast as a bullet”. The pickup scene was a bit too crowded for a running start but Maegan was still quite happy to see us (especially Patty), and Patty was even more happy to see Maegan.

After signing out Maegan and packing up the car, we had a hunch to double check on Maegan’s friend Olivia who went to camp with her. We called her parents to ask if they were here in the car line, or still on their way. Good thing we checked because they thought camp pickup was the next day. So unexpectedly, and luckily for Olivia, we took an extra passenger home with us.

Camp Photos 3

Mike — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:00:52 +0000

Here are more photos of Maegan at camp. This was the week that she went backpacking with llamas. We pick her up tomorrow.

Camp Photos 2

Mike — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:11:43 +0000

Maegan is halfway through her two weeks at sleep away camp. Because they’re between sessions we spoke with her on the phone this morning. She said she was having fun and had lots of stories to tell us, but she was also very home sick. Here are a few more photos from her first week at camp.

Camp Photos 1

Mike — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:23:33 +0000

We have several dozen photos of Maegan from camp in just the first few days. Most aren’t very good (she just happens to be in the background of many of them) but here’re four good ones.

Sleepaway Camp

Mike — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:50:10 +0000

Today we took Maegan to her first time at a sleepaway camp. She’ll be away for the next two weeks at Camp Pisgah , located 140 miles away in Brevard, North Carolina, near the Pisgah National Forest, which is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This will be the longest time she’s been away from us, and more importantly it will be the longest time Patty’s been away from Maegan.

Maegan will be at Camp Pisgah for two consecutive week-long sessions (a birthday present from my mom (thank you)). Her friend Olivia, who went to Camp Pisgah last year too, will be there with Maegan for both sessions. The first week she’ll be in a program called Night Mares, in which the campers will get to ride horses each night. (Nightmares, get it?) The second week she’ll be in a program called Llama Trek, in which the campers will get to go on hikes with llamas carrying their gear. No, I’m not kidding. Plus the entire camp operates under a different overall theme each week too. So in addition to her Night Mares program, the entire camp has a “Magic & Mysteries” theme for the week too – a Harry Potter type theme. When we checked her in today all the counselors were dressed like Hogwarts staff and students. The check in shelter was labeled “Station 12½ ” (like the “Platform 9¾” from Harry Potter, but I assume different so they don’t infringe on copyrights), and the campers were each separated into
different units (like the houses from Harry Potter, but again, different). It was all pretty well planned and organized. For Maegan’s second session (the one with the llamas) the overall camp theme of the week is Twilight, so her two favorite book series will both be her theme weeks this summer. I hope Maegan has a lot of fun, and I’d be surprised if she doesn’t.

There isn’t that much more to say at this time but we expect to be able to see photos of Maegan at camp while she’s still up there so hopefully I’ll try to post about some in the next two weeks.

P.S. On our way home (after three hours) we stopped to pick up Hunter from Sandi and Johns. Hunter will be staying with us for two weeks.

The Rainmaker

Mike — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:36:00 +0000

I took Maegan camping this weekend at McDowell Nature Preserve, which is just a few miles from home. After setting up the tent we set out on a long two hour hike, half of which was on trails we’ve never hiked before. Maegan kept proving to me why she’s a straight-A student, constantly teaching me about nature along the way. For example, I pointed out some pine cones and Maegan informed me that they were actually called a conifer cones (I had no idea) and all about how the cones contain seeds that help repopulate the forest.

After our hike Patty met us at the campsite with Darah for dinner. We all had your typical campsite food… Chick-fil-a. Patty and Darah couldn’t stay long so it was just Maegan and I again after the sun set. We talked, played board games, roasted marshmallows, and made s’mores.

We chose this weekend to go camping because the forecast was only 20% chance of scattered showers (about as good odds as your going to get in the North Carolina Piedmont in the early summer). We’ve had it rain on our camp out every time we’ve ever gone… so why should our luck be any different this time.

1:00 a.m. – It starts raining. After 15 minutes the rain fly begins to leak in several spots, including spots over both Maegan and myself. But it’s just a slight drip and by 1:30 a.m. it’s just a slight drizzling so after moving Maegan away from the drip, I go back to bed.

5:00 a.m. – Lightning and thunder roll in, along with more rain. This rain is much harder. I turned on the radio to get a sense of how quickly the storm may pass by but in just a few minutes it becomes apparent that it’s irrelevant. The rain fly is leaking much more and in many more spots. We’re both getting wet and it’s time to abandon ship. I grab the electronics and other non-waterproof items and we jumped in the car and waited. After a half an hour the rain continued but it was much lighter. Maegan wanted to go back to the tent but I knew it would still be soaking so in the pre-dawn darkness we left the camp site (tent and all) and headed home.

7:00 a.m. – The storm finally passed by but Maegan is now asleep in her bed. I’m going to wait as long as I can to let the sun dry out the tent.

12:00 p.m. – I returned to the camp site by myself. The sun had totally dried out all of the tent above the ground, but not the floor which was literally submerged. I collapsed the tent, dragged it to a dry, sunny spot, and flipped it over. This worked surprisingly well and I was able to pack up the tent and leave by 1 p.m.

As usual, camping was a lot of fun until the rain ruined it. Next time I think I’ll just go hiking with Maegan and then come home.