Campground Fun

The view from our campsite!

While we're out here in D.C. we've got easy access to a bunch of fun.  Besides the entertainment within the city itself, we've got a short drive to the coast if we head East, and great camping if we head West. Our first excursion was to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. 

This was a huge test for Joe and I.  Though we had been camping all our lives, this was our first camping trip where we had to have everything. Even in college, we relied a lot on our families to bring the essentials: tents, tarps, food, coolers, etc.  So this was our trial run and I think we learned a lot along the way.

Lesson #1: Always put up your tent BEFORE you leave for your trip. This way you can see if there are any holes, missing pieces, or more importantly, enough room for you to sleep. Joe and I found this out the hard way. As soon as we assembled it, we realized that we would have to curl up into a ball to sleep since there wasn't enough room for us to actually lie down.That also meant that the air mattress we packed wouldn't fit inside, either. Hello, back problems!

Lesson #2: Always pack in advance.  When you don't, you end up throwing whatever clothes you can find the half hour before you have to leave. If you're like me, you forget an extra pair of socks and sweatpants and so you freeze your butt off in the night. If you're like Joe, you forget a second pair of shorts and so you have to walk around with that mustard stain all weekend long.

Lesson #3: Look to the BOTTOM of the firewood pile.  If you just grab the first one you see, as Joe and I did, you realize that the wood was cut just the day before and you find yourself caught in a smoke storm when you make your fire. Believe me, no amount of lighter fluid will help make that fire catch on. Seriously, we used 3/4 of a bottle.

One of the two waterfalls we visited on our hike!

Even with all that, it was a fantastic trip. We took the scenic drive and arrived to our campsite around one on Saturday. We went on a 7 mile hike, partly on the Appalachian Trail! We came across some beautiful waterfalls, which we played in.  It was the most refreshing water I have ever tasted!






It was great to get out of the city for a while. Life is just better when you're surrounded by nature and it's bewildering beauty. It truly shows you your own insignificance, in the best way. We both said it felt like we were getting back to our roots. For us, camping comes with wonderful memories of family fun, hopeless failures, and great adventures.

Adventure caption: hiking up the waterfalls (see above) and playing!

We bought a pass for this season, up to next August. If you ever feel like coming out to Virginia for a camping trip, we'll be happy to meet you!