Ten on Tuesday

Samm (age 7) on top of Mount Kineo*  
10 Things To Bring On A Camping Trip.

I have to tell you that "camping" to me is staying at a camp; I do NOT do tent camping.  My mother and step-father used to own two camps, one at Moosehead Lake in Greenville, ME and one at Schoodic Lake in Brownville Jct., ME ( so tiny I can't find a good link).  (They still own the one at Schoodic.)  We used to go for a week during the summer or a long weekend in the fall; we haven't been in many years!   So, on with the list....

1.   Bug Spray - no matter where you go camping, the bugs are going to be there too!

2.   Benedryl - I remember one trip to Schoodic Lake with my friend, "Missa Louise"; I got stung by a bee.  I have never been stung before and my foot started swelling.  We were at least an hour away from the nearest hospital.  We searched the camp first aid kits and medicine cabinets for some Benedryl and couldn't find any - we found every kind of fiber imaginable (sorry Mom), but no Benedryl.  Luckily, I was not allergic and all was well, but my mother did receive a package of Benedryl for her birthday the next month :-)

3.  Beer - this is a no-brainer; beer and camp just go together.

4.  Coffee (or caffeine beverage of choice) - because even though you don't need to wait until noon for #3, you'll still need your caffeine in the morning!

5.  Food - specifically, burgers and dogs.

6.  Marshmallows - have to toast marshmallows over the fire - I like to catch mine on fire and eat them burnt (yes, I do know I'm weird.)

7.  Swimsuit - because you can NOT go camping without it being near a lake (or other body of water!)

8.  Float - preferably with a drink holder (see #3).

9.  Books - must have something to read while floating in the lake.

10.  Knitting - for evenings and (heaven forbid)  rainy days.

*(She'll tell you we forced her to climb it with pneumonia.  The truth is she did indeed have pneumonia, but we didn't even know she was sick until that night.  We just thought she was whining the whole way up the mountain - bad Mom & Dad!)

Comments

[Chris]

Substitute "motel room" for camp and I'm in! Your list is excellent.

[Hillary]

Another great list (with a great picture). I like to catch my marshmallows on fire too. That is the absolute best way to eat them.

[Sara]

Great list...

[Carole]

Great list - the benadryl is a must!

[marianne]

What a beautiful view! (and the background ain't half bad either, hee)... no kidding, Samm, such a Beauty and the photo is fabulous.
Yep, burnt marshmallows (along with the charred dogs :^)
Swimsuit? don't need no stinkin' swimsuit.. cutoffs and tanks always did the trick just fine for me. (this probably had more to do with going out looking for one, trying them on, meh and bah!)
I'd go camping with you xoxoxoxox

[cursingmama]

I've got to do this 10 - but
I have to say my first impression was OMG Clover is growing so fast!

[Cookie]

You mean to tell me that you get out of the pool in the summer long enough to go camping?!

Really?

[Zonda]

Hehe! I'm a fellow burnt marshmallow lover too!

[samm]

yay, i did have pneumonia and you guys did make me climb the mountain so i was forced to climb it with pneumonia. and seriously with the picture?! ehhh love my jean shorts and scrunchie!

[Julie]

Samantha - You had just gotten your hair cut for the first time the day before and you loved the scrunchie. You were only 7, remember!

[Debby]

One answer to this question: a hotel reservation!

I am camping scarred. A tent under a big oak tree in a lightning storm along with no decent plumbing finished me off for life. :) I truly love nature, but at night I want the simple comforts, LOL.

Samm, work that story until Clover gets wise to it! Then she'll figure out how to work her stories on you. :)

[Sheepish Annie]

And socks. Lots of socks. It is always cold at night when camping. It could be 100 degrees during the day and still drop to minus five million by dark. I also burn the marshmallows. It is the right way to do it. Period.

[Dianne]

My idea of camping is a 5***** resort...I don't do tents, don't care for bugs and swimsuits..argh..not until there's a turtle neck one on the market..This body doesn't work in swimsuits anymore.
However..I do like your thoughts on the beer, knitting and I'll even hike..which grants you the right of the beer~
Samm..you're a CUTIE..and shame on those parents for making you climb that mountain with pneumonia..I knew this about your Mom...just meeting her once and I could sense this abusiveness:))

[Kathleen]

Thanks for the reminder. My husband are vacationing in August. First 2 nights in Boston with Aerosmith at Fenway thrown in. Then 2 nights at a campground in Vermont. I will have to get working on that list so I don't forget anything.