Hello from Virginia!

Hello everyone,
My name is Melissa and I'm 28. I've got 3 little kiddos and we all enjoy camping. So far we've only been to pay camping spots like First Landing and Shenandoah. I'd like to get into dispersed camping in the near future, though. We have 2 trips scheduled to new spots next month. I also enjoy kayaking, fishing, hiking and usually with the littles coming along. My 4 year old has her own kayak (lakes), can fish, and hike 4mi. Her little brothers (2 & 1) are following in her footsteps, too.

Nice to meet you all

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Welcome missyify. This is a great site. Little slow right now, but it becomes more active when people are not camping as much.

 

Thanks It is nice to have a couple of amenities when camping. I think it's my mom side that has anxiety over the communal aspect. My littlest has issues and hasn't slept well since birth, so I worry about disturbing others, especially during quiet hours.

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Thank you. I'm looking forward to it.

 

I think it is good for a family to spend time together in the outdoors camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking or anything that doesn't involve a lot of noise or real fast stuff. Get away from TV, Internet and video games. Kids and adults alike need to use their own imagination to create games to entertain themselves and others, and the chance to learn and interact with the outdoors.

I remember picking blue berries while camping, and stepping on yellow jackets nests, and running around in the woods stepping in swampy muck areas sinking up to my waist, yeah that was one time I think I heard mom say I stunk so bad that it would be easier start over with a new baby then clean me up. There was one time, I was maybe 5 or so, I stepped on a live ember from the fire and torched the devil out of my little pinky toe, so I sat most all day with my foot in a bucket of water. It was fun..

Regardless of what a stupid kid I was it was a learning experience, and I was always ready and eager to go camping again. Um well.... you don't want your kids to have a bad experience. My wife went camping with her girl scout troop when she was young, and they had some bad experiences, and I think it ruined it for her.

I felt I spent to much time at work and other things I thought were important, and didn't spend enough time with my daughters. Time that I should have been spending with them that I will never get back.

With young ones you want them to be comfortable and enjoy their experiences camping. I think you taking them camping when they are young is great, and will build a closely knit family.



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@missyify, My wife and I went to Grayson Highland Park, to hike and see the wild ponies. They had a camp ground with all the amenities plus a country store. It looked like a nice area and in the woods with plenty of shade. Some people camp there and hike about a mile to see the wild ponies. I posted about this area under the trails section on 6/26. It was about 10 to 15 degrees cooler at the park then it was where we go off I81 in chilhowee. The hike up to the ponies was not that strenuous. I think a couple of mares should have had a foal a week or to ago.

Don't know how far up you are in Virginia, just thought I would mention it. The little ones would love the ponies.

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Thanks for the suggestion! I was actually thinking about kayaking to see ponies, but hiking sounds even better because they can move around. They really would love it. They get excited over any bird or turtle or grasshopper when they're outside. They'd be over the moon to see ponies.

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They have fun with hiking and short kayak trips so far. We are outside a lot, even when we're home. They like fishing, too. Our next trip is going to be at a lake where we can combine all of our favorite activities.

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I too have fond memories of camping with my grandparents. "No one remembers their best days of TV." We try to keep things low tech at home, we don't have cable and try to limit exposure to commercials and other marketing that targets kids. We went to Toys R Us to price a new bike for my daughter and none of them knew what store we were at. They liked seeing the toys but were more excited about markers and the bikes. Not to say they don't nag us for stuff, but it's usually food lol! Apples, bananas, etc. I have to pack a full kitchen load for camping because of my boys' allergies. We're all on the same diet (auto immune protocol) which can be difficult for camping. It's rewarding, though. More of a challenge and the kids love to eat everything in sight lol. We're going to be homeschooling/distance learning with them, too, so that will leave plenty of opportunities for travel and firsthand learning experiences My daughter and son first learned to write their ABCs in the dirt. Sorry I went off on a tangent.

 

I for one was amazed by how I was faster than my mom today. My mom has always been more athletic and outdoorsy than me, until I had kids. Now I've gone off the deep end, but almost anything outdoors is better for kids. Finally got around to fishing today, but definitely need to get better lures for our local lake. The ones I have now should be fine for where we're going next week. I was fine with just chilling haha. The rest of my gear will be in tomorrow so I can complete my mods.



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