I like to go camping because I have a secret aversion to taking showers.
(Mostly, I have an aversion to all the time it takes to get wet, then clean, then dry again. Infrequent showering is better for my curls, better for my skin, and easier on... lots of things.You may not know it, but I've been on the cutting-edge of European-style hygiene for years now. I digress.) When Joe tells me we're going to hitch up the newly-acquired camper and pull it with a minivan, I'm delighted to know there's going to be a limited amount of space for all those soaps, towels, lotions, and wardrobe changes. The priority is on bulky hiking boots and SmartWool socks, disposable diapers, water, barbecue chips, and mugs for camp cocoa on the crisp mornings. The aromas of campfire smoke, pine needles, and S'mores-breath will definitely mask any questionable smells. Sweet justification!
Last weekend, we decided to test out our camp-out-overnight-with-5-little-kids-and-no-shampoo skills at beautiful Hueston Woods State Park in the southwest corner of Ohio. It couldn't have gone better! We hit a bunch of trails, saw a gorgeous 625 acre lake, were stunned with majestic carpets of wildflowers, hunted for fossils in creek beds, walked on top of an ancient Adena Indian Mound that dated from 500 B.C., and saw the state tree (buckeye), the state bird (cardinal), and the state wildflower (white trillium) all in one morning. Here are some other highlights, according to the Ultra-Light Crew:
Rosemarie (8 years old): "Well, the finding of the fossils was the most amazing part. Now that we're at home, it's great to be home again. I slept in a tent with Dad, while the boys slept in the camper with Mom and Iohanna. That's all I have to say."
Thomas (10 years old): "The hiking. Definitely the hiking. Probably also those steps that looked like there were jungle steps. S'mores. The meals."
Leopold (6 years old): "I liked hiking the Indian Mound Trail and finding those amazing fossils. Camping in the camper and sitting on the log in the woods for that picture when Mom accidentally kicked over the camera."
Bruno (4 years old): "Hiking and doing the steps aaaaaaaaaand camping. And, um, sleeping, and the rest of the things."
Now that we're home (and clean again), I'm realizing that I took very few pictures. But if you look closely above, you can see smiling faces (or hooded faces and hat-pulled-down-over-the-eyes faces) and wildflowers in a woods on an April morning. And that, I think, captures the essence of our Hueston Woods experience.
