Fathers and Families Camping Trip

I wanted to go camping again, but this time with the entire family. So, I talked it over with a few folks, and eventually found several neighbors to come along. We called it the “Fathers and Families Camp” since the official ward “Fathers and Sons Camp” is next weekend. The Hunters, Bergerons, and Rowberrys all joined us.

We borrowed Cousin Eddy again and headed out into the desert. This time we went out to the Pony Express trail road out near Simpson Springs.

Beau Hunter had told me roughly of this site just beyond Lookout Pass, up in the cedars on BLM land. It was primitive camping, no bathrooms, running water or improved camping sites, but the weather forecast looked good, so we set a date and got it on the calendar.

We left just after 4pm on Friday. The other families were running later than expected, so the Mighty Johnsons were the first ones out there. The Faust road was in miserable shape, and since I didn’t know the exact spot we were camping, things got a little stressful while trying to deal with overly-excited kids, mystery camping spots, and hauling the trailer over rutted roads.

Thankfully, Beau showed up after about an hour, and lead us right to a great site (at precisely 40.113103, -112.642726). The spot was actually down the first road that I had thought to explore before reconsidering, doubling back, and exploring frustrating dead ends. Arrgh. At least we could finally unpack and setup camp.

The Rowberrys brought their 4-wheeler, the Bergerons brought their RAZR, and the Hunters brought two horses, so everyone had fun things to do. We had camp calzones for dinner which were delicious, then I made a cherry and peach cobbler for dessert, which turned out good (although a little too cake-y). The next morning we had dutch oven mountain man hash for breakfast which was big group meal.

However, it wasn’t a perfectly executed camping trip.

Here are a few things to remember next time:

1. Don’t worry about coordinating group meals. It’s harder than it seems.
2. If possible, get exact GPS coordinates of the site beforehand.
3. Having a trailer to chuck things into makes camping easier. It might be time to look for a covered trailer to purchase.

But, overall it was a success. I think we’ll have to do another “Fathers and Families Camp” next year.