Since we're going to miss the Great American Backyard Campout this year, a couple of us decided that it would be a great idea to take our boys camping for Fathers' Day this year. Eric and I made reservations months ago, and dragged our sons into the great outdoors for a couple of days (and just one night).

As I've said repeatedly, sometimes life gets in the way. We weren't about to let that happen this time around. Even with T-Ball and other family committments, we still managed to get to the campground before losing our reservation. In retrospect, it wouldn't have been a huge deal, since the sites were surprisingly unused. Perhaps it was related to the weather forecast (crummy, with chance of rain and thunderstorms). As it turned out, we found a great spot and there were only a few people at the campground. Our site had a trail leading to the lake, trees for hanging the hammocks, and plenty of shade to help keep us cool. We didn't experience a drop of rain, and the clouds cleared out overnight so that we could actually see the stars.

Once we picked out a spot, it was time to explore a little (for two of the boys), and set up camp (for the rest of us). We pitched my trusty Mountain Hardware Skyview 2 tent for the boys to sleep in, and hung both hammocks for the adults. This worked out to be a great arrangement, as the boys were able to sleep together (giggling, laughing, and generally horsing around for almost an hour before falling asleep), while Eric and I burned through the bulk of the wood, chatted, and eventually cleaned up the camp site for the night.

For entertainment (always important when camping with the little ones), we brought along a slingshot. My original intent was to work with the boys to learn now to make one, but I didn't get a chance to pick up any heavy-duty rubber bands or surgical cord. This probably worked out better, as the "instant gratification" factor kicked in, and they were able to immediately begin practice their target shooting after learning the basics and getting the "safety talk" (never point the slingshot at anything alive, don't shoot at the tent or hammocks, etc.).

I think most campers are fascinated by fire, and the boys were no exception. We have just a few "rules" associated with the fire. Keep the flames in the pit (or the immediately surrounding area), and don't burn anyone else. True to form, each of the boys got burned at one point or another, but it was nothing major, and is probably the best way to begin to learn respect for it.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was giving The Boy his first knife. He had no idea that it was coming, and the surprise made it that much more special. I pulled him aside, and told him that I was trusting him to practice good safety. I had discussed the gift with Mom, and explained to her that he would cut himself with it at some point (fortunately not this weekend). Coaching my son through this "rite of passage" was a surprising emotional moment for both of us. He accepted the tool (and the responsibility) gravely, and seemed to understand that this was a Big Deal to me. I can't express how proud I was of him with the way that he handled it for the rest of the trip. There were a few minor infractions, and I did find it laying open at one point, but other than that, my expectations were confirmed that he was ready and able to handle it.

I wanted to take a minute to talk about one guy at the Camp Ground who just plain "wasn't thinking" when he stopped by. It was getting dark, and we were working to wind the boys down in preparation for bed-time. Some guy, we'll call him "Mr. Idiot," stopped by on a bicycle and opened the conversation with, "Did you know that they found a dead guy in site 33 a couple of years ago?" We were in site 35. I looked over at the boys to see how much attention they were paying, and the were fortunately (mostly) absorbed in the fire. I pointed out that we had young kids and really didn't need to hear this story shortly before bed-time. He either didn't hear, or chose to ignore my comments. The rest of the conversation went something like this...

Me: We've got kids here and don't really need to hear this.

Mr. Idiot: No, I'm serious. It was a couple of years ago.

Me: I'm serious too... we don't need to hear this.

Mr. Idiot: They found his decapitated head in the fire ring.

Me: [Louder] Thanks. Now, get out of here.

Mr. Idiot: People who know about it won't camp in 35 any more.

Me: [Still Louder, and getting up out of my chair] Go away.

Mr. Idiot: [gets back on his bicycle and starts pedalling away] I just thought you'd like to know.

Me: No, we didn't need to hear that. Dumb *ss.

Ok... so I managed to hold my temper, if not my tongue. I'm not sure what posessed some guy to randomly stop by a camp site and start telling "Ghost Stories" -- whether true or not, especially before bed time. At least a preface of "Hey, do you guys want to hear a Really Scary story?" would be a courtesy and give us a chance to say that it was a little too close to bed time for the youngsters. As it turned out, most of the exchange went unnoticed, although there were still some questions (in the dark tent) about "That guy in the site next door." from The Boy. Here's a plea to all you fellow campers out there. Please THINK about your stories before you jump in to telling them.

As I mentioned earlier, the night was clear and cool, and we had plenty of firewood to keep the chill away. The adults had a couple of "adult beverages" before turning in (way too late!) for the night. This was my second night sleeping in a hammock, and once again, it was comfortable and I had a restful (albeit brief) night. I awoke at 6am to the sound of my son finding a tree (probably a little too close to our camp site) for his morning pee.  We grabbed some early breakfast (cold cereal and milk) and got the fire going again before everyone else got up. I achieved hero status by starting the fire from the left-over coals in the fire pit ("My dad started the fire without any matches or anything!").

When the rest of the group woke up, we started 2nd breakfast - Sausage and Egg Burritos. These were a big hit and gave me a chance to put my old Coleman 2-burner stove through its paces. I haven't used it in a couple of years, so I'd tested it before leaving. Field use is always nerve-wracking for me with that device, but it performed flawlessly and the burritos were delicious.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the campground, fishing, and generally hanging out by the fire. One of the highlights of the camp-fire was Jiffy Pop. For those of you who aren't aware, the Jiffy Pop package specifically states that you shouldn't pop it on an open fire. True to form, we throw caution to the wind, and pop it anyway. The key to camp-fire Jiffy Pop is two-fold. First, you need to have a long handle so that you don't burn yourself. For our regular trips, we have a special tool that gets the job done (and have been trying to get Coach to patent it for years!). This time around, we improvised using a regular long-handled hot dog roasting fork. The second piece is keep that pan moving the whole time you're trying to pop the corn! This is made easier if your long handle is a little bit flexible. Over the years, we've gotten pretty good at the technique, and rarely burn the corn any more. Popcorn is a big hit with the kids, and Jiffy Pop has the added advantage of being "eye candy" with the giant aluminum bubble growing to near-bursting size.

The final activity before returning to civilization is to put out the fire. For this, we enlisted the boys' help.

Their bladders weren't enough to totally douse the coals, so we finished up by dumping our remaining cooler water and ice.

What a great trip. The boys were well-behaved, and we didn't run into any major injuries beyond the standard minor burns, bumps, and a proliferation of mosquito bites. What a great way to spend Fathers' Day weekend, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with The Boy at other Michigan campgrounds as the Summer wears on!