End of the Season Camping

              This morning we are waking up in or own beds- getting ready for school and settling in for the fall- we are all a little out of sorts and wishing we were waking up in our sleeping bags instead. This past weekend we took one last camping trip- we headed East to the Okanagan to Bear Creek Provincial Park- a place I have not camped since I was a kid. There is nothing like sleeping outdoors that confirms a change in seasons- gone are the soft winds of July- Fall can be smelt in the air.

       While we may not have had the most stellar of weather we did have breaks in the cloud that revealed a magical forest behind our tent- a short fifty foot path lead directly to the lake- though no one was swimming and the forest held more appeal than the beach on this weekend. One of the things I love most about camping is watching my Littles amalgamate into a heard of wild camping children- venturing out in a fairly safe environment- testing their boundaries.

          The forest yielded a variety of beautiful and dangerous plants to look upon- "leaves of three let them be"- large patches of stinging nettles and poison ivy abound at this time of year. So also do the Rose Hips - a few of which came home with me to be turned into tea. Rose Hip bushes are plentiful on Westside Road- almost like a hedge row in places.

        We arrived home late last night- smelling of smoke and covered in dirt- tiered after our six hour car drive- minds content and quiet thinking about the adventures had over the past few days. Sometimes I think one of the reasons I go away is so I can come home again- coming home is ever so good! We are finally ready to hit the reset button and settle into our Fall routine- Fall always feels like the true start of a new year for me. Time to settle back into our space in the city after months of flying by the seats of our pants- in and out- doing scant loads of laundry and existing on minimal cooking. I am ready to surrender to Fall- transition from outdoor to indoor living- get organized and put things back in their places.

       This last camping trip was just what we needed to wrap up our totally epic family summer- our Littles have grown by leaps and bounds in the outdoors this year- we have relaxed as parents- we have gelled as a family with kids instead of babies. Living in the heart of a large city engaging with nature is always on our minds- how to get our kids outside and connecting- I feel we have done pretty good this summer!

"Teaching children about the natural world should be treated

as one of the most important events in their lives"

Thomas Berry

P.S.- thank you to the Gruending family for organizing the weekend- getting our spot and letting our children mooch food off of you all weekend! We always have super fun times with you all and look forward to many more camp outs in the future!