Friday Eric’s class visited the HP Fire Station as part of Fire Safety Week. Kathryn joined the class. They had several speakers and stations including going through a smoke house, holding a fire hose, checking out the ambulance, etc. Eric asked a couple of questions from his Cub Scout book so he could satisfy a Cub Scout badge requirement as well. I spent most of Friday packing our camping gear for our overnight camping trip on Saturday and Sunday.
We joined Mark, Matt, Nathan and Mark’s dog Natalie at the Kibby Pond Trailhead a little before noon. We were immediately faced with a small stream crossing which we managed negotiate without getting wet feet or having the kids fall in. Once across the stream we put the packs on the dogs and headed up the trail. It was almost 2 mile hike in and a climb of 600’ so Nathan and Eric dictated a few breaks along the way where we could sit on rocks or logs eat our lunch or just rest.
Kibby Pond was very pretty. The leaves were a little past peak but very colorful.
Nathan and Eric posed in front of Kibby Pond as we searched for an appropriate campsite.
We found a nice campsite on a slight knoll slightly removed from the pond so the dogs weren’t in & out of the water all day. There was room for three tents with lots of down wood. We were entertained watching Mark trying to recall how to set up his tent – a clear sign that he didn’t get out camping enough this summer!
While Mark and Matt cut wood, I cleaned out the fire pit and the boys played a version of baseball.
For dinner we made one pot spaghetti cooked in sauce, Nathan had hot dogs, and Mark & Matt had lasagna. The temperature dropped during the evening and there was a slight breeze. We sat around the fire and played the progressive story game and turned in at 8pm. During the night we heard migrating geese flying overhead in the dark, we heard owls and we heard beavers slapping the water nearby as they were surprised by our campsite. All very cool!
We slept fine. Eric and I were pretty toasty but Kathryn was a little chilled as we estimate the overnight temperatures settled in around mid-30s. We slept until 7am and woke up with temperatures warmer than it was the previous evening. Our hike out was easy. The dogs got along fine the whole trip.
Sunday afternoon we cleaned up our camping gear, did laundry and relaxed. Monday Eric, Trevor, Kathryn and I had a cook out. I warmed up some MREs by dropping them in boiling water. The boys didn’t find the meals particularly tasty, but they were intrigued by the wide variety of items that were included in the MRE packet: crackers, jelly, plastic ware, several powdered drinks, and a fruit bar – everything a soldier would need.
