The Fake Campers

So our first campout wasn't really a campout. It was one night. And it was in a group site with grass. I don't think campsites with grass count as camping. I WISH that all campsites had grass though, because that would mean that babies can play on the ground at their own pleasure, and parents need not fear muddy pants, pebbles, and other small "chokable" items.

The babies in the stroller, hammock & playpen. Not on the ground!

We did some SERIOUS camping last week. We were invited by the Allreds to join their family campout on the long weekend in Banff. We stayed at the Tunnel Mountain Village, just up the hill from the Banff town site. I did not know that years and years ago, my naive mother took her family of 5 children camping there. She did not have a car so she kept the cooler in the tent. In BEAR country. It was for this reason she went home with a family of 4 children. Just kidding.

Mark packed our car so well that there wasn't any space for one more thing (very sad when you visit IKEA on your way home and can't buy the dining room table or area rug in the "As Is" section for over 50% off!!). Mark has yet another argument for buying an X-Terra. We were definitely OVER prepared and had enough food for another week! Anyways, on our way to Banff, we stopped off at MEC to look for a baby carrier. We bought one, and it worked great, it was just MORE than I was hoping to spend. About $200 more. Now we're used to a really nice one and it's hard to find cheaper ones that satisfy our oppulent taste. GRREAT!

After unpacking all of our stuff, we had so much fun with the Allreds. Thank you to Tanner for being such a great Kindling Boy. If no one knew where he was, he was probably out collecting kindling. Isaac had a fun time playing with Gwen. He's learning how to SHARE, but now he pushes down on other kids to try to stand up. He loved the baby carrier and we got some great use out of it because we went on a hike every day! Thanks to Mark for being a great "navigator of the trails". We attended church at the Banff Branch and were welcomed by the 10% of the congregation who were actual members of the Branch! Like always, we also found people who were connected to the Ellingson family in some way. We went to the Banff Springs Hotel and then hiked to the Bow Falls. Isaac loved getting to know foreign people and climbing up their legs. On Monday we checked out the Cave & Basin where the hot springs originated, and which was also the origin of National Parks in Canada! We also saw a spring that flows YEAR-ROUND! I love our country!

On some of our many hikes, what breathtaking views!

Hanging around the campsite!

After the Allreds headed home, we had to downsize from an 8 man tent to a 3 man tent. We had fun though! Mark and I hiked down the hill to Banff and did the tourist thing, only half the stores were closed because it was 9pm. We arrived home in the pitch black and the German couple next to us thought that something horrible had happened to us because we had arrived home so late! No, it was just your typical "Davies" spontaneous, ill-planned adventure. "Hey it's 7pm, let's go on a 3 hour hike!" Those adventures are later termed, "Experiences". Our family also toured Chateau Lake Louise and hiked around the lake. I had been there before during the winter, and it's nowhere near as breathtaking as during the summer!! We laughed at the European tourists taking pictures of chipmunks and squirrels. After all of our hikes, our bodies were very sore and we soaked in the Upper Hot Springs. The staff thought Isaac was so cute, they let us borrow a little historical bathing suit for him to wear. Isaac was just tall enough to crawled around the little kiddy pool.

Our family adventures - complete with a moose hat,

bathing suit, green waters & stolen cookies

Throughout our trip we commented on "Real Campers". Real Campers don't wear cotton. They wear their special layered clothing from The North Face or MEC that wicks away sweat and dries fast. They leave early in the morning, long before "fake campers" wake up! They use special walking sticks on their hikes. When they return home from their day long hikes with their walking sticks and special clothing, Real Campers don't even bother to make a fire, they just use their headlamps and climb into their hammock style beds that hang from trees (we actually saw Real Campers with these!). It is one of my goals to become a Real Camper, but for now, I'm content with my fake camping ways, but all the while aware that Real Campers are laughing at me.