backpacking trip (by david).

I took Judah and Gabe backpacking in the northwest corner of our state this fall. We love the outdoors; the boys tolerate hiking. But none of us are campers. So this was an experiment in a two-day trek. I need these times away with any combination of my family to cut out distractions, make our worlds very small, and spend quantity time together.

We pieced together gear we’ve collected over time and borrowed what we didn’t have. Judah and I wore true backpacking packs and Gabe wore a hydration pack. The key to hiking with kids (and adults) is lots of good “food” – breakfast bars, candy bars, hot chocolate, cheese, salami, trail mix, Pop Tarts – sugary calories that evaporate into hours of trail.

On a surprising cold morning, we loaded up the car with supplies, packed a bagel breakfast, and drove three hours to Burrells Ford Campground. Julie’s killer suggestion was to listen to the audio book Swiss Family Robinson. We laughed and laughed. The dad is staunchly self-righteous, and dispenses condescending nuggets to his family who receive these morsels with glowing admiration (gems like, “A noble mind finds its purest joy in the accomplishment of its duty, and to that willingly sacrifices its inclination.”). I took to imitating him the whole trip, much to the boys amusement.

At Burrells Ford, there are three trails to piece together for a two-day, 18-mile loop. Julie wisely talked us out of it, for which I was later glad. Instead, we did four miles of hiking without packs to test a different trail and see a waterfall. Then we came back to the car, put packs on, and trekked five more miles to our campsite.

This entire hike was along the Chattooga River, brilliantly flanked by changing trees, rocks, and sandy beaches. It was stunning. We stopped at noon at a clearing overlooking the river and happily ate lunch. We made cups of hot chocolate, meandered down to the water, and played an intense game of truth or dare. Judah asked us which of the Ten Commandments was hardest to keep. I asked the boys if they had to marry someone this second who would it be. What was shared on the Chattooga, stays on the Chattooga.

We arrived at our campsite late afternoon. We had started in South Carolina, crossed the river into Georgia, and finally arrived in North Carolina. Judah and I took a nap in the tent while Gabe played in the river. Then we all explored together, built a fire, learned how to filter water, ate astronaut beef stroganoff from a bag, played hide and seek, and, of course, drank more hot chocolate.

By 8pm we were cleaned up, cozy in a two-man tent, listening to Swiss Family Robinson on my phone in the soft glow of hanging lamps.

Spoiler alert to those for whom this was their favorite childhood movie – there are no pirates in the book. I repeat, no pirates. Once the shock of that wore off, we slept as soundly as three men in a two-man tent, on hard ground, without pirates, can sleep.

There was threat of rain the next morning, so we packed quickly and munched Pop Tarts on the five-mile return. About an hour from the car, Gabe got stung by a bee. He was distraught. I held him, calmed him, gave him water and a snack. He whimpered for a long time. We’ve been working on less drama over injuries, so I found the perfect teaching moment to tell him to knock it off, man up, and finish strong. You know, “a noble mind finds its purest joy in the accomplishment of its duty.”

I turned around fifteen minutes later and saw his hand had swelled like a blown-up latex glove. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”, I exclaimed. “You said stop complaining!” he retorted. I had him chug Benadryl and watched his breathing which stayed clear. By the next day he was swollen to his elbow, but it stopped there. His Popeye arm became his badge of honor at church on Sunday and I saw many an admiring crowd gather to hear the tale.