Camping - Raccoon Creek

A weekend of family camping during the peak of Fall colors was a must needed get away for our crew.  

It was such a joy to have everyone together for 48 hours - away from all distractions.  Finding extended time with the whole family is getting more challenging as the kids are getting older.  With busy work and activity schedules, time together is precious.  

It had been several years since our last family tent-camping weekend - Emmy was a baby last time.  The littles were especially excited for this experience.   

 

Our big kids made this weekend so special.  Davis did some research and found this campground - Raccoon Creek State Park, one of Pennsylvania's largest and most visited parks, just outside Pittsburgh.  He also gathered and organized our camping gear and led the packing efforts.  Davis and Hendrick arrived ahead of the rest of the family and set up our tents (three tents!).  

This was such an easy weekend for mom and dad!

*Davis and Hendrick have camped a lot with BoyScouts these past several years - they're quite experienced!

 

We had time to read, race trucks down the hill, and explore some of the trails near our campsite.  The big kids ventured off for a long hike together.  At night we had fireside conversations, snuggled with littles, listened to "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow," and roasted marshmallows and heated cocoa over the fire.  Hendrick spent most of the weekend down at the creek finding salamanders.   

 

It was a wonderful weekend.  

 

*The littles wanted to stay the whole week.  

We'll have to make another whole family camping trip happen again!

Roan Mountain

In early October, our family camped a weekend with Burke and Kolpin's Cub Scout Pack on Roan Mountain.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the fall foliage was gorgeous!

Nestled among lush green rhododendrons, the State Park rustic group campground was set in an ideal location alongside Doe River.  Our family met the pack in the afternoon (after Nutcracker rehearsal and soccer games).

No toys, no electronics, no distractions, just wonderful family time outdoors (and lots of Cub Scouts running around!) 
We love camping as a family. 

After setting up camp, our kids couldn't get to the river fast enough!  Hendrick caught (and carefully released) over 20 salamanders.  Many of our explorers stayed in down by the river till twilight.  In the evening, our Cub Scouts performed skits and told ghost stories around a big bonfire.  The rest of us enjoyed our own campfire with s'mores before settling down in our tents for the night. 

The next day, our adventure was cut short by a fast approaching storm system.  We had enough time to break camp and enjoy a quick breakfast (and amazing low-cloud mountain scenery) before heading back home ahead of the storm.
It was a wonderfully refreshing escape for our family.