In early August we went on an overnight camping trip.  It was in some ways easier than our previous trip when Jackson was 8 months.  And in other ways much harder.  Here’s how it went from Jackson’s perspective.

Basically the moral of the story is that we all survived.  Like last year we hiked in about a mile or so to Long Lake near Soda Springs, CA.  Our campsite from last year was already taken by another family but I think the campsite we found this time was better.  It was more sheltered and had easier access to the lake.  There are plenty of great campsites if you keep hiking around the lake.  Here’s a link to how you get there, Long Lake is basically the first lake you come to on this trail.  You do need to get a free campfire permit and double check the restrictions for your area.  We were under restriction so campfires were not permitted so we just used our camp stoves.

Thunderstorms:  We did know that thunderstorms were in the forecast and we hoped they would either be short, or at least give us enough notice to make dinner and get in our tents for the night.  They didn’t start ’till late, maybe around 11pm or so and lasted a few hours.  Jackson, who had been having some sleeping problems the last few nights as it was, did not have the best sleep ever.  And neither did I.

Sleeping bag:  We brought Jackson a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad (two more things to carry) but as I remembered from last time he stole both of mine so I was willing to have Mike carry some more stuff.  We folded his sleeping bag in half so it made it a little cushier and he couldn’t slip down into it too far.

Milk & Food:  We brought a thermos and icepacks in a soft cooler along with our dinner which was penne with pesto, baby tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.  Delicious.  The milk was also delicious in our coffee/hot cocoa the next morning.  However we also ran out.  Jackson was not pleased.

Backpack Carrier:  We had an older Kelty pack that didn’t have a sunshade on it, so we splurged and bought the Osprey one in the photos.  Of course it was a month after our member discount at REI.  We went in to get the latest Kelty model but once we started trying them on we were sold on the Osprey Pack becasue of it’s ease to switch from my size to Mike’s  – trust me it makes a huge difference.  I forgot to change it on the way in to the lake and I lost some feeling in my legs.  On the way back I made sure to adjust and I was practically skipping back.  The other feature was how quick and easy it was to put the sunshade up and down.  Super easy.  No sticking rods into any sleeves — Just pull it out and snap it in place.  Done.

So I think that covers most of the issues we encountered or considered before going on the trip.  Overall it’s worth the hike in because it is so peaceful (disregard the screaming baby for a few hours in the middle of the night) and there are less people around than when car camping.  Nothing beats a private lake swim in the morning.  Well, a hot tub might.

Let me know if you have any questions about what to pack or anything if you are planning a backpacking trip.  And please send me your suggestions for backpacking.  Particularly for bringing two kids. (No announcements yet!  But I gotta see if this is feasible.)