Back in the Saddle Again

This weekend, the Ham Fam went camping for the first time EVER!!

Keith and I have camped with our families as kids, as individuals with friends and as a couple but NEVER with our kids.  It was a conquest that we were never ready to tackle.  Our friends, the Metzger's gave us the courage we needed to jump back in the camping saddle and say "giddy-up".  The Metzger's have 3 boys and the youngest is Oliver's age.  We actually met the Metzger's because of Oliver and Charlie's friendship at school.  They have told us stories of camping with their boys at very young ages so surely we could handle it with only two boys with the youngest being nearly two years old.  A week prior, Keith pulled out our camping gear and declared that we were lacking a lot of necessities.  He set the tent up in the spare bedroom so that we could test it out, but not before he vacuumed the Moab sand out from our last camping trip somewhere around 2006.  We declared the tent a perfect fit, bought sleeping bags for the boys and declared our gear good enough.

When we agreed to go camping we asked for car camping since this was our first time with the kids and we know we can't go to a hotel for one night without packing like we're moving in.  It was likely we would have to post a notice to the bears and mountain lions to move over because the Hamiltons are moving in.  Gina came back with a request to go to the White Ranch Park camping location which included a meer 1 mile hike in.  Hmm... ok, we can handle a mile.  Plus, I was envious of the photo they posted from the same location last year with an amazing view of the city lights.  Then, Dan made mention that he thought we could get our wagon up the trail.  This sounded like a great idea, especially after he requested we bring beer.  Good thing we bought the ATW (All Terrain Wagon)!

We met at the trail head at 6 PM on Friday night.  We loaded up and headed out, with Kellan on my shoulders.  He was in no mood to hike.  The boys took off like a flash lightning. My camera was someone in the wagon, so I have no proof of juggling Kellan from my shoulders to my hip to Keith's hip.  Then pulling the wagon up hills that felt like Mt Everest.  Gina did get a few photos and I'll be sure to include them when she sends them my way.  In all reality, the hike was great and the views were amazing.  It was rejuvenating to be back in the mountains again.  

Once we got to our campsite I did get a photo of Keith parking the ATW.

The last leg of the hike, Kellan perked up and hiked into the camp site.  Once there, he decided that he was in charge of dolling out the gold fish crackers.  One for you, two for you, three for me... whatever he thought was appropriate.  If you didn't like what he gave you he took it back and ate it himself.  The boys thought that it was hilarious!

The bathroom had an amazing view of the city.  Down below and directly in the middle of the photo is downtown Denver.  The plateau in front of downtown is North Table Mountain and our house is directly below it to the left.  Our campsite didn't have this view (the Metzger's had a different camp site with this view last year.) but it was great to gaze upon during bathroom breaks.

A zoomed in look.

The city is still a bit hazy.  It may or may not be residual from all of the fires, or, just summer haze.

Back at the campsite the boys were jumping around on the jungle gym that Mother Nature provided.

Then, it was time for the main event, the camp fire!

This is a big deal.  Not only because camping is always better with a camp fire but because for weeks Colorado has been under a no burning ban.  If you've been watching the news you know that the state tried to burn down.  In the past week the monsoon season has hit and with it came the rain to moisten our forests.  The night before our camping trip, Dan got a message that we could have a camp fire.  YIPPEE YAY!  It still seems a bit dry so we believe that we made it in a very small window of opportunity.  Before long, it is likely that the fire burn will be back on.  In the meantime, the boys were thrilled to watch Dan's fire making skills.

Oliver, Charlie, Dan, Michael, Peter

The next game was to find dry pine cones and toss them in the fire.  Everyone under 5' tall was all over this game.

Charlie was most impressed with this tiny pine cone.  He asked me to take this special photo of him and he asked me to send it to his Mom.  Then he asked me six more times that night.  The first thing I did when I downloaded my photos was I sent this photo to his Mom.  Such a sweetie!

Sometimes I forget to take photos of the grand scheme.  While Gina and I were at the bathroom the guys picked the tent locations.  We each had our own acre, practically.

From the camp fire, the table and the tents in the background.

Peter loves the little guys and the feeling is mutual.  He and Kellan bonded right away and they were off on a nature hike.

Peter and Michael were quite concerned about how we were going to get the hot dogs off of the grill.  They didn't want their dinner going up in flames!

Kellan was on the move, constantly.  This photo is not his best but I find it funny that the only part that is in focus is the lizard on his shirt.  It must be a sign of how much the rest of him is moving. Sometimes he struggles with the juice boxes.  The straws come out, they tip over and get him wet, he struggles to get the last bit.  Really, juice boxes are not the easy choice.

The easy choice is to just have Mom dump the juice box in his sippy cup.

Oliver enjoyed a hot dog for his first camping dinner.  Really, he would enjoy hot dogs for ever dinner (or mac and cheese) if he could.

Finally, the Dad's got to relax with the requested beer.  Good Call Dan!

Then, it was back to the bathrooms.  This time, Kellan came along for the hike.  

Hiking is a good time!  Hooray!!

The boys had come along and they wandered off to hike these nearby rocks.

Oliver on the left, the Metzger boys to the right.

Michael, Peter and Charlie

Oliver roaring like a Mountain Lion.

ROAR!

Charlie and Oliver giving a "cheese" during some rock climbing

Getting these four to stop at the exact same moment and smile was impossible.  Sometimes, you just have to roll with it.

Charlie, Oliver, Peter and Michael

Charlie and Oliver having a great time.

"So Oliver.....    Really, I'm telling you that's the way it is."

"Pfff...  whatever Dude.  You're crazy!"

"I'm telling you Oliver, ...."

"Yeah, I still think you're crazy, Charlie."

Mama and her boys, Kellan and Oliver

Kellan loved the tent and had to check it out now and then.

Time for smores! WAHOO!!

Oliver had the King Daddy smore stick with three prongs.

Keith teaching Oliver how to make the perfect roasted marshmellow.

All of the boys making roasted marshmellows:

Peter, Kellan, Michael, Charlie, Oliver and Keith

Mmmmmm Marshmellow!

(He didn't want to venture past the plain marshmellow.  Eventually he went for the full smore)

Pure Heaven!

Oliver and Kellan have probably been wondering where marshmellows have been all of their lives.

A camp fire snuggle with my baby boy.

Oliver and Charlie exploring the night time with a flash light.

Nightly Night, Sleep Time, Time for Bed.

Somehow we had managed to stay up until 10 PM.  WAY past the boys' bedtime.

We snuggled in and crossed our fingers that the boys would sleep.

Oliver slept like a champ.  He slept so well that he didn't notice the wild animal in our tent at 2 AM.  Kellan woke up to a top-of-the-lungs, leg kicking scream.  It went on and on for 20 minutes and then it was on and off for the next 2 hours.  He wasn't happy.  Was it his teeth coming in?  Was it the new location?  Was it sleeping in a tent with the whole family?  It wasn't cold, but was he cold?  Or.... then it dawned on me... it could have been all of the above PLUS the One, Two, Three, FOUR Marshmellow Belly Ache!  I remember he went to the bag on the table for some un-roasted marshmellows but I didn't pay much attention until I noticed #3 going down.  at 2 AM I realized I didn't count the roasted one plus any number that I didn't notice.  What a nightmare!  I didn't know if he was scaring the wild animals away or luring them in out of curiosity of the wounded animal.  All I could think was that day light couldn't come fast enough.

Then, it happened, the sun came up.

I looked around and everyone was sleeping.

What a beautiful morning it was.

Eventually, they all woke up and Oliver had to pee.  The best part of camping and being a boy is you can just pee outside.  After slight hesitation of the directions, Oliver started peeling the spider man pj's.

When you're four, there is nothing like peeing in the buff.

When you're much older, you're just creepy and inappropriate.

When you're four, your cute and eligible for photos from you Mom.

For breakfast we had nutri-grain bars and a gallon of grapes.  The challenge to the boys was to eat every last grape. (When we pulled in the driveway at home, Oliver declared that all of the grapes were gone!)

We took a morning jaunt to the rocks for some climbing.

Oliver scaling the crevice.

Charlie and Oliver pausing for a photo moment.

Back at the camp site Kellan asked for a drink.  He got his lips ready with a big pucker...

... then he chugged the H20!

It was finally time to head out at about 9:00 AM.  We loaded up, Kellan saddled up his ATW and we were off.  Thanks to the much emptier cooler and some smarter packing, Kellan had a seat on the ATW.

Mr Tut himself.

It was at the bathrooms on the way up that Kellan decided to hike himself.  It was at the bathrooms on the way down that he again decided to walk himself.

He smiled ear to ear while hiking.  It was a great day to be in the mountains.

He hiked nearly the entire way back to the car, chatting the whole way. He didn't even let the trip tuck-n-role fall get in his way.  He strapped on his boots and hit the trail.  Giddy-up Cowboy!

We had a great time camping and write it off as a success.  We didn't expect Kellan to sleep well, so the fact the he slept some was a mark of success.  The screaming, well, we'll try to forget that part.  Maybe it was a protection mechanism from the wild animals.  We got home at 10:30.  Just in time for a Starbucks stop, lunch at home and naps.  Oliver took a 2.5 hour nap, which is typical.  Kellan took a 5 hour nap!!  Followed by 13 hours of sleep that night.  Crazy!!

Thanks to the Metzger's for giving us the confidence to jump back in the camping saddle again!