Camping with a baby is ... in tents

Wesley
Jul 11, 2021
3 min read

Hello Everyone,

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who would go camping with a baby, and those who believe we invented houses precisely to avoid such scenarios. Recently, Emilie and I decided to see which group we fell into.

It didn’t start out particularly well. We found the canoe rental place easily enough, and strapped what later turned out to be a defective canoe to the roof of my spacious Rough Country model Prius C. Then promptly forgot to get the firewood we paid for. However, having to turn around and go back for it gave us more time to wait out the torrential downpour that was coming down at that point, so it evened out.

Now, lots of people engage in what’s called ‘glamping’, a portmanteau of glamour camping. They’ve got all kinds of gadgets and conveniences that really take away from an authentic outdoorsy experience. Us? We didn’t even bring a map, that’s how hardcore we are. And it’s not because we forgot it on the counter at home or something. That, at least, would make more sense. In all the prep work we did in the weeks leading up to our departure, at no point did we say “Hey, should we bring something to let us know where we are going?” This resulted in us paddling around in the blazing sun with a screaming baby, with only a vague idea of where to go.

Not to worry, we had sun protection and relied on our finely tuned outdoor skills to find our campsite. We’re basically wayfinders at this point. (We stopped and asked for directions at a different campsite.)

Throughout it all, the munchkin was great. She fussed a bit in the canoe, mostly because her lifejacket prevented her from stuffing things in her mouth. But she slept well in the tent and in the carrier when it got too bright. We were sharing the site with some friends who had a toddler and an even younger baby, making us seem much, much less hardcore in comparison.

Apart from sun protection, the next challenge was dealing with some very bold chipmunks. They hung out by the food prep area, just waiting for you to turn your back. In their most audacious heist yet, they stole the munchkin’s Sophie the Giraffe and my sunglasses. We had them on the first day when we put the munchkin in a portable bassinette while we set up camp, then could not find them for the rest of the stay. Our suspicions were confirmed when we got home and found these items tucked under the mattress of the bassinette. Clearly the vermin were trying to hide the evidence of their crimes. Case closed.

While the planning, setting up and taking down took a lot of work, there were sublime moments in between. We got out of our normal routine, swam in a fresh lake, saw friends in a Covid safe environment, and introduced the munchkin to campfires. That’s the stuff you remember.

Wes

Photos