I just finished cleaning off our tent this afternoon and officially ended the experience by putting it and our sleeping bags away. I toyed with camping out in one of our bedrooms but decided to let the experience stand as is. While I am pretty down about the various unexpected challenges we had to deal with, there is a lot that went well. (Click on the image to the right to see all of our camping photos.)

First and foremost, Caleb had a great time. That was my nearly singular aim, and I think I can say, mission accomplished. He didn’t mind sleeping in a tent, or getting a bit dirty, or even dealing with the mosquitoes or rain. He clearly didn’t appreciate the latter two if you asked him about them, but neither seemed to slow him down much. I look at camping as a way to get out of the hustle and bustle of life and slow down a bit. Caleb seemed drawn to the same (we sat near the fire on our first night and listened to the forest and its many noises) and seemed also genuinely energized to be having the semi-roughing it experience.

In retrospect, I’ve decided that I shouldn’t be too hard on myself for deciding to leave a day early. Indeed, it continued to rain throughout the day and into the day we had originally planned to leave. Without the proper rain gear, and having to consider our dog’s comfort level as well, avoiding the rain was the proper move.

On the upside, we had a lot go in our favor. There were only a handful of campers in the campground aside from the three of us (perhaps five campgrounds out of 90 were occupied, perhaps due to the weather… ) so we had a considerable amount of peace and quiet. Despite the rain, our tent kept us very dry and comfortable. It also helped keep the mosquitoes out and offered a spot for Caleb to go to the bathroom so we could avoid the rain (the rain fly creates two fairly roomy vestibules on either side of the tent — Caleb managed with some finagling to be convinced that the option was far more preferable than running through the rain roughly 300 yards to the bathroom). Nadine perked up the second day and I figured out how to keep the mosquitoes off her without too much bug spray on her fur. We had the opportunity to visit a very cool museum and talk with a friendly person for a bit. And, perhaps most importantly, Caleb wants to go again, and soon (a not-so-certain outcome with kids, even after an ideal camping trip).

So, all in all, it was far more fun and successful than perhaps I convey when harping about the few discomforts. Perhaps we’ll try again next weekend…