Aging Up: Camping with Camille

From Backpacker to Car Camper

The wilderness backpacking was put on hold when Camille came into my life, so I shifted to car camping for several years. In 1997 when she was 1, her dad and I went for an over-nighter out by the Teanaway River. Having a toddler underfoot while camping was easier than I thought it would be, so later that summer I took her by myself to Ebey State Park. Until my triathlon thing took hold of me in ’04, I took her on at least twice-a-summer car camping trips, usually just the two of us, sometimes with her dad or friends. One of our favorite places is Fort Flagler (on Marrowstone Island, across the bay from Port Townsend). We've made several visits to Whidby Island and also went near Mt. St. Helens, Scenic Beach at Hood Canal, San Juan Island, Sonoran desert in Arizona and went “boat camping” once to Blake Island.

Kids revert to a feral state when outside for a few days. Here Camille and Emma are in a primal antler fight of some sort.

Don't feed the animals.

There is Uncle Chris and cousin Corinne joining us at Fort Flagler and Camille has got her marshmellow on a stick ready to roast. Marshmellows and a bike are part of the Ten Essentials of car camping(Camille's Ten Essentials, that is).

Camille took a walk around the neighborhood wearing her new boots and backpack to get ready for the hike. There's her whistle too!

Now, here she is on the actual hike, about 1/2 mile up the trail's gentle grade, ditching the backpack and starting to complain. About a 1/2 mile later, after slow progress and many stops, I stuffed her load into my pack and ditched her pack in the woods (to be picked up on the hike back out). Now, with her carrying nothing and me with an additional 10 lbs. or so on my back, we were more evenly matched for hiking.

The next day, she was reluctant to do some side hikes (what? more walking uphill?) but I know my kid likes to negotiate... Soon we were having a fine, several mile hike up and over a ridge and down into Mt. Rainier Natl. Park, with her in sole possession of the big M & M's bag. I have a picture somewhere of her taunting me by holding up M & M's.

Yeah, I saw some sort of big cat prints (as in cougar or bobcat) in the soft mud around the lake, so I sent my little cougar bait out to collect water at dusk.