I LOVE CAMPING
This was my daughter’s third canoe trip. This one was a little different – just the two of us – father and daughter. She loves camping – in fact she often tells me that, “Daddy … I love camping!”
She’s my little helper. She volunteers to help gather firewood, chop firewood, set up the tent, filter water from the lake, cook the meals, build the fire, do the dishes and load/unload the canoe. She especially likes exploring around the site, swimming in the lake, playing with sticks, pine combs, rope or anything she can get her hands on and throwing rocks in the lake. At 3 years old she did great!
For the first time (on this trip) she paddled by herself, roasted her own marshmallow, jumped in the lake unassisted and helped prepare the meals. A canoe trip alone with a young child does have its’ challenges. Paddling on a windy lake is not an easy task, portaging requires much more effort and time and supervising her (by myself) so that she does not wander off becomes a full time job with one that is so adventurous. I’m not sure when her and I will head out into the wilderness again just the two of us. But when it does happen, I know that I will cherish it as much as I did this trip. Hopefully she will be able to carry more than just her paddle by then.