Camping in the Collegiate Peaks

When I was a little girl, we had this wonderful series of National Geographic encyclopedia books that my grandmother bought for us. They had titles like Cats: Little Tigers in Your House. That was a favorite. It dovetailed nicely with the whole cat-language creation. The other book I loved was called Camping Adventure. I used to pore over that book, admiring all the photographs of long underwear and compact cooking pots and towering mountains. It had pictures of children toasting marshmallows over an open fire, tall dark trees yawning behind them. They went swimming in icy alpine lakes and hiked wildflower-draped mountains. (I have a feeling the photos were taken in Colorado.) 

At the time, that kind of rugged landscape looked like Mars to me. I don't remember ever camping as a kid. My Dad would crack us up with stories of entire summers spent camping with his family but it was clear he was pretty much over camping by the time he went off to college. (Despite his claims that he detests camping, I think he actually loved our camping road-trip to the Grand Canyon a few years back.)

But back to that book. My favorite photo spread was one of all the camping gear laid out in a neat grid. It thrilled the part of me that loves nature and adventure but it also appealed to my domestic side. I've always loved books that talk about wind-dried laundry or cleaning out cupboards. Nerdy, I know. But there is something so satisfying about admiring a freshly-scrubbed floor or having just the precise thing you need and nothing extra. Camping brings out the organizer and the adventurer in me, and despite my customary melt-down before every camping trip, I do love it.

When our friends Heath and Amanda invited us along on their Labor Day camping trip, we packed up the Pathfinder and hit the road. The Green Kitchen, a hand-me-down from Daniel's parents, is still going strong. It is a dream to take along on camping trips!

We just got this old-timey percolator and it's awesome! By some miracle, our blistered and bruised Coleman stove keeps chugging along.

Five minutes peace: That's about all the Dads got before the kids attacked.

After a delicious lunch (that purple cauliflower!), we set off on a gorgeous hike on the Colorado Trail. Heath got up at the crack of dawn both days to run 15-18 mile legs of the trail. Yes, you heard that right. He RAN 15-18 miles each morning. He is training to run the entire 500-mile Colorado Trail next summer. Amanda is quite the trail runner, too. She sprinted up the mountain while the rest of us took our time and admired the stunning views.



Back at camp, we gobbled some delicious appetizers, and Heath and Amanda checked out the Go-Pro footage of his run.

It would appear Heath is prepared.


Gourmet camping food is the best. Mmm.


The retro popcorn popper was a huge hit.


This is what happens when your child takes the photo.

Amanda made a delicious peach and blackberry camp cake in her new Dutch oven. Everyone loved it.

After biking and hiking all day, the kiddos were exhausted. We bundled them into bed and sat by the crackling fire. The clouds rolled away and there it was, a wash of stars and the Milky Way.

We came home restored.