An Overnight Getaway to the Mountains

We love the fall! It seems like every weekend we have something going on. We always talk about how fall is the best time to camp, but we can never find a weekend to go. We always make time for something else or end up being lazy and stay at home to watch college football on Saturday. We decided this year was going to be different. Callen loves looking at the stars and moon each night he can see them in the sky. He enjoys hiking, and gets excited if you mention camping with him. We knew we needed to take him on a camping trip again soon, but didn't know when the best weekend would be because of everything else going on. After looking at the calendar, we decided on Halloween weekend. Cal doesn't eat candy, so we figured he didn't need to go door to door collecting candy for us. Plus, he won't wear any costume from the store, so he was going to be a tool man...which is what he does everyday at home!

Our plan was to leave after Doug got off of work on Friday, and head to Pisgah Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We would camp two nights and head home on Sunday. We stayed there on our trip in May, and really liked the area. We knew we would be able to see the leaves changing colors at one of the many overlooks, the weather would be nice and cool for sleeping, and it's less than a two hour drive from our house. As the weekend got closer, the chance for rain on Sunday became close to 100%...plus the rain was going to start in the middle of the night, making packing up on Sunday not fun with wet gear. We decided to only spend the night Friday and spend the rest of Saturday hiking and stopping at the overlooks for the wonderful fall views. (What ended up happening is that we had a great time Friday night and got up Saturday morning to bone chilling cold weather. The air was damp and humid, no sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze. Cal was freezing by the end of breakfast and ended up spending most of the rest of the morning playing in the car while Doug took down our camp site! We decided it would be best to head on home as Cal's hands were little ice boxes and they were only to get colder being outside and stationary in the hiking pack.)

 

The time we spent in the mountains was great. Cal absolutely loves being outdoors and is really excited about camping and hiking. All day long he was so happy to tell you he was going to sleep in a tent. If you asked him if he was going to sleep under the stars and moon, he would answer with 'No, a tent!' When we arrived at the campsite, Doug unloaded the car and I went to pay for our spot. When I returned, Cal was carrying ThermaRests from the parking spot over to where our tent was. He helped Doug with the poles for the tent as well. Anything he could do to help, he was going to do it. He took his own 'pat' (aka hammer) to help Doug hammer in the tent stakes. He helped break sticks to use for firewood. Cal was having the best time at the campsite! 

The night sky was crystal clear and you could see stars forever. Cal bundled up in Doug's lap in front of the campfire, and looked at the stars. He was amazed at how many stars he could see. Anytime you talk about the camping trip now, he has to talk about the stars in the sky! After a while of sitting there, Cal drifted off to sleep while Doug and I sipped on some champagne and enjoyed the evening ourselves. 

 All the work and effort put into going camping for a little over 12 hours was so worth it to see Cal's excitement!