Monday, July 5, 2010

Green Peter Camping


We were invited by some friends to join a larger group of friends for a weekend of camping at Green Peter Reservoir last month. It happened to fall on the last weekend of Joe's annual training which created a situation in which I packed up all the gear and the children (while slowly coming down with what would be a bad case of laryngitis) by myself, drove 2 hours to the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, met with the group, unpacked and set up camp, made dinner and got the kids to sleep while trying to keep it all together. There were more than a few moments when I questioned my sanity. Had it not been for the several other husbands present and willing to help me pitch my gigantic 3-room tent, I may have tossed in the towel and driven to Albany to sleep in the comforts of my parents home. But by the time the kids were asleep in the tent, the adults were crowded around the campfire and I had a roasting stick in hand (s'mores were on the horizon...) I felt the stress of the day release and was glad I had made the decision to go.

Joe joined us on Saturday and we were fortunate enough to experience a tour of the lake guided by our good friends and their boat. The weather was beautiful and the water a bit chilly but that didn't stop me from throwing caution to the wind and jumping in full force. Who needs a wetsuit?! I donned my bikini and a life jacket with my feet strapped to a wakeboard as I attempted something I assumed looked easier than it really was. I had no idea what I was in for as I failed each attempt with a face full of water. So after 6 attempts and 1 ALMOST success, the teeth chattering chill was more than I could bear. I headed back to camp feeling defeated but not for lack of trying.

After 2 days and nights without showers or baths we packed it all up and made the trek back home. The van was unloaded in record time and everything was unpacked, put away and laundered in just a couple of short hours. The kids were bathed, the adults were showered and we all slept well in our beds with wonderful memories of a fantastic weekend.

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