Camping with a 4 and 6 year old is pretty much nothing like the camping that we are used to. It requires a lot of work up front, during, and after. We don't yet feel confident yet to drive long distances to get to the ideal camp areas, and as such are limited to whatever is within a 90 minute drive or less (in this case Lake Kachess). Activities are also limited to what a 4 year old and 6 year old can handle. They cannot yet handle activities such as mountain biking, long hikes, or extended fishing. Fortunately, they are able to fill in the gaps with activities like "dust parties", "dust dances", and rock collecting!
While it is a bit rugged on the grown-ups at this age, we are thrilled to see the joy and elation from their first experiences in the outdoors, and we are laying the foundation for more in depth camping fun down the road. For now, we are content just to watch them enjoy things like sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmellows (albeit on a propane grill due to the campfire ban we rudely discovered when we arrived), "fishing" for the first time, and "hiking" along the lake shore trail.
Smokey also enjoyed himself, swimming 4 times in 2 days, although he pretty obviously was sick of lying around in dirt by the end of the trip. He slept for 2 straight days upon our return to Sammamish!
"Hiking" the shore trail with the kids
Enjoying Mom's special eggs and pancakes breakfast!
Taking Smokey swimming...
First time fishing. Not the ideal location... the campground attendant said "I think some people caught some fish in the spring". Nevertheless, it was still great fun. Jackson was a master, successfully casting on his first try!
Fun with dirt...
Cozy camper
Roasting marshmellows over an open propane grill!
It's all worth it!!!
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