Adventures in Hunting Camp

A week at hunting camp is like a week of vacation. Especially in this:



the Army tent we borrowed from my dad. It doesn't look like much (it's particularly droopy, we put it up in the dark) but look inside.



See that, there, in the middle? The Holy Grail of fall camping - the wood stove. No matter how cold it got - and it was cold - we stayed cozy and warm.


And the amount of space it provided, compared to our usual tent, was fantastic. It was big enough that we could comfortably eat inside, or do school work without the wind blowing the papers away. If it rained we just lit a lantern and the girls colored or played on the ground happily.

On the nice days, we did lots of exploring and playing. What do Two Little Girls do at hunting camp in the mountains for a week?

They catch tiny frogs after a heavy rain.





They play with puppets that Mommy fashions out of sticks and leaves and grasses.

If you really work to stretch your imagination,
you'll realize this is supposed to be a rooster.

They collect rose hips to dry for tea.



They create "Critter Buffets" to set out and see if any critters would like to have a snack at night.


There was also a fair amount of school time, though not enough to take away from the fun and freedom of living in the outdoors for a week.



Our silly dog discovered how much fun it is to pretend to be a cow dog, chasing grazing cattle from our camp if ever they ventured too close, her whole body waggling with the excitement of it.



There was lots of Follow-the-Leader, singing songs, playing with toys around the big rocks of the fire pit. They didn't have any trouble staying entertained. None of us were ready to come home. I spent a good portion of my time just sitting around knitting and watching them play, baking in the sunshine and enjoying the time to relax.

There's a good chance this was our last camping trip for the year. It's getting chilly now, the days are getting shorter, and fall comes faster in the mountains than it does down here in the valley.

And no, we didn't come home with any meat this time. We were all a little bummed - he sure got close there toward the end, but we were really out of time. There's still a couple more seasons to try later in the fall though, so we're still hopeful.

And now? Back to our regularly scheduled programming... and I'll try to keep up with my blog a little better now that I've got internet access again!