Ethor the Great is seven now, and I figured we were past due for a father and son camping trip. We had done some camping in the back yard, but of course that is not quite the real deal. This past summer had gotten away on me with other business, and I the weather was starting to get colder. At this altitude and this close to the Rockies, even in the middle of summer, a hot day cools off quick once the sun goes down. It is not that uncommon for a nighttime temperature of around 10C. Once you get to late August or early September frost warnings become regular. I had hoped to take him camping one night over the Labour Day weekend, but the temperatures were forecast to be wet and cool during the day, and just above freezing at night. We made a last minute decision to go camping just two days before school started. This meant that Ethan’s last day of summer would start with waking up in a tent with his dad! Not a bad way to send off the summer.

Naomi helped me gather together food and supplies to use that evening, I borrowed a two man tent from my brother-in-law (instead of our giant family tent), snuck out of work early and went to a nearby campground, Red Lodge Provincial Park.

Mid week in the last week of August, the place was pretty quiet. We had a nice spot near the river. After erecting the tent, Ethan got things situated inside while I got to work on the fire and cooking supper. Afterwards, we went for a hike by the river (with the slingshot) and then back for a snack and finally bed. We listened to light rain on the tent as Ethan drifted off.

During the night there was a thunderstorm that went overhead, but we stayed dry in the tent and we both had a pretty good sleep. Ethan woke up for his last day of summer break before school, and we cooked up some breakfast, packed up and headed back home so I could get to the office. A short, but fantastic little trip with my son.

Can’t wait to do this again next year!

2016

Grades 6, 5 and 3.

2015

Grades 5,4 and 2

2014

Grades 4, 3 and 1

2013

Grades 3, 2 and kindergarten

A few days later, Ethan in Kindergarten

2012

Grades 2 and1

2011

Ellie in homeschool grade 1, Adelaine in Kindergarten,

2010

Ellie in Kindergarten

2009

Ellie in Preschool

Grandpa and grandma wanted to take the family on a camping and fishing trip to Blood Indian Creek Reservoir and the trout stocked lake. The kids had not really done any fishing before, so they were quite excited about the idea. We initially planned a four day trip, but cut it down to three given that our first planned day was high winds and driving rains.

Thankfully, we could put most of our camping supplies in their van. It takes an incredible amount of stuff for a family of five to sleep for a couple nights! The sleeping bags alone constituted a small mountain. Someday I will have to invest in some of the more compact ones, either that or a trailer to haul it all in.

Day 1

A 2.5 or so hour long trip highlighted by taking a small ferry across the Red Deer River in the Alberta badlands. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon to get set up, explore the campground, and for grandpa to introduce the kids to fishing. Around the campfire that night I read the kids a story from the book, “A Fine and Pleasant Misery” by the great outdoors humorist, Patrick F. McManus, called The Purist about how 12 year old boys are the most passionate fishers. Seemed to fit the bill.

Day 2

Rain. And lots more rain. Mostly gentle showers, but a few dark storms went over too. We did have a few breaks in the weather throughout the day while watching the next one coming in. It is big sky country over there with hardly any trees to block your views. Despite the soggy weather, we had a good time hanging out in our oversized tent (which someone had once called the Taj Matent when we set it up at another campground). We read some more stories, played games in our tent, and during some of the breaks in the rain, went fishing.

Five fish were caught by our crew that day, or more accurately, five fish were caught by Adelaine. Ellie and Ethan had a few nibbles, and Ellie now has her own “the-one-that-got-away” story, but only Adelaine actually landed them. At one point she landed two trout at once, one on each hook on her pickerel rig (a “double header”). I think Ethan was a bit put out that she got all the fish!

First Catch!!!

Day 3

It seems that without the rain to dampen their spirits, the local waterfowl get an early start at the day. By my reckoning, about 4:30AM the symphony started with the geese, followed by the smaller birds. It was a very cold night, and as I lay there reading a book, waiting for the kids to wake up, I am trying to cover every bit of me to fight the chill. I am wearing a toque, in a sleeping bag rated for 5 degrees C (a typical outdoorsy lie, on par with “the fish was this big”, and descriptions of tent sizes that are roomy and  “sleep eight), running a little camping heater, and I had finally put on my sweater, yet I could still feel every gap letting in cold air into my sleeping bag. To my great surprise, I watch Ethan slowly wake up and stick his feet out of his sleeping bag and note that he didn’t immediately recoil them back in in shock. Instead, he keeps them exposed to the cold, even spasmodically kicking them around for a while as his 7 year old body charges up it’s daily dose of mischief.

We did get a bit more time drowning bait in the lake, but no bites on this calm morning, so Adelaine retained her record set the previous day. After another hearty breakfast, we begin the slow process of packing up and heading home.

On the way, we stopped by the hoodoos near Drumheller. Adelaine and Ethan were game to climb up to the top to the grasslands above, so I went with them, and then guided them back down past the cacti and the snake we saw along the trail. So fascinating to see the layers that are normally unnoticed beneath our feet, laid down by the great Flood. They each grabbed a sample of the plentiful coal seams that are found in the surreal landscape.

It was a wonderful trip with many new memories made! Thank you grandpa and grandma for making it happen and for all the fantastic food.