UNHAPPY CAMPERS

On his school breaks Ryan has enjoyed some 'man time' camping trips with some of his buddies from school; a little fishing, a little rappelling, a little rest and relaxation with the guys. During his past Spring break though, he ditched the boys and took us girls to one of his favourite spots. We packed up, headed North and hit the road...for three hours.

To get to the campsite we drove along a dirt road to (I was fairly convinced) nowhere. Dust, brush, and sprawling flats of dirt were all that could be seen in any direction and I was starting to doubt just how great this place could really be. Just when I was wondering where on earth Ryan was taking us, a cluster of trees emerged in the distance and Ryan informed me that the trees marked the campground. Apparently, not only were there trees where we were going, but hidden somewhere amongst the brush there was a river hiding along with some pretty tempting hot springs.  

Kirch. It's about as pretty as it sounds: 

We arrived at dusk, with just enough time to set up camp before the sun disappeared for the day. Ryan unleashed his inner mountain man and built us a cushty fire pit, whist Charlotte and I set up camp (which is code for: set up a couple of chairs and watched Ryan work). Charlotte spotted an owl, which she proceeded to follow from tree to tree in wild excitement, whilst Ryan and I set up the tent. 

We got the fire going just in time for it to get freezing cold. We cooked tin foil dinners, which actually weren't half bad for my first attempt at making them. 

Our cosy set up:

Charlotte inspected our sleeping arrangements. She was very excited about her purple sleeping bag and snuggled up and pretended to be asleep until she heard the mention of marshmallows. After all, what's camping without 'some mores' as Charlotte calls them; I think that might be her English roots shining through for just a moment. 

We toasted the marshmallows, added the chocolate and crackers and I think Ryan managed to try a bite. In fact, I'm fairly sure the photo above captures the precise moment that Charlotte lost it and started screaming- hysterical, inconsolable screaming that didn't stop. She was writhing around on the tent floor shrieking 'kiss it better' while she clutched her thighs and screamed some more. We had no idea what was going on...and since we were three hours from help if we needed it, and since the hysteria continued for an hour and we were ruining a peaceful night under the stars for the rest of the campsite, we wound up putting out the big fire, taking down the tent, and making our way back down that dirt road as we headed for home.

It was a fun few hours while it lasted, I just wish we got to enjoy the hot springs. I would say there's always next time, but I have a feeling that next time Ryan goes camping it will be with his buddies from school! Those trips definitely have a higher success rate. Maybe we'll try camping in our living room and build up from there.

(I finally put together what was wrong with Charlotte. It was her first time wearing a different brand of nappies/diapers. It turns out there's a reason they cost half of what the other ones do- and the reason is the major rashes they induce! She's all better now...and I'm even more excited for potty training)