That Didn't Go As Planned!

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design.

- Emperor Palpatine, Return of the Jedi

Wow, that didn't go they way I had planned!

- Packman, last weekend

So, Friday evening arrived, and I was excited. As I noted before, I was going to take FBS camping for the first time. Failing that, at least we were going to sleep in a tent in The Inlaws' back yard. Silly me.

So Mrs. Packman and I loaded up the Packmobile with all of the huge amount of gear necessary when you're going anywhere overnight with two young kids, plus my tent, two sleeping bags and pads, as well as my camp stove and lantern. There was hardly any room left for people!

I'm thinking about getting a car-top carrier for the Packmobile, as it may make packing a little easier.

The Inlaws have a small house just outside of Woodstock, NY. Yes, that Woodstock. If you actually go into town there is loads of tie die still evident, as well as a whole lot of new-agey type of stuff going on. I don't go into town very often.

The good thing about Woodstock, is right in the middle of the Catskill Park, a "forever wild" collection of public and private land just west of the Hudson River criss-crossed by hiking trails. It's a great place to explore. There's even a club for people who have climbed all 35 of the mountains over 3,500 feet in elevation (more challenging than it sounds, for all of you out west who think "3,500 feet, that's not a mountain!).

Anyhow, we arrived at the house Friday evening after a horrific traffic experience getting out of Brooklyn, and attempted to sleep. FBS had other ideas and woke up screaming several times. Can you say "foreshadowing" boys and girls?

Mini-man grooving to the Woodstock vibe in his Bob Marley onesie. It's just that kind of place!

Saturday morning came way too soon, but it was time to introduce FBS to the adventure that is camping. I figured a good first step would be to set up the tent to make sure we had all the pieces - I haven't used it in two years. FBS thought this was a grand idea, and set to work "helping" me.

Shock corded poles a really fun to play with!

I think I remember how to put this thing together

Its fun to play in!

Testing the sleeping arrangements

One thing you need to convince your wife of if you are going to take a small child camping is that no harm will come to said small child. One piece of this puzzle is to make sure that the child does not get lost. A great piece of gear to help a kid not get lost is a whistle. You simply teach your kids that if they ever find themselves alone in the woods they find a comfortable tree to sit under and start blowing their whistle until they're found.

FBS really liked blowing his whistle, but I'm not sure he understood the rest of the instructions. Maybe when he's older.

I didn't want to spend the entire day at a campsite, so in the afternoon we went to visit one of FBS' best friends from his day care. Anyone who says that 2-year olds don't have the social skills to play together and form real friendships is crazy. These two kids have had am amazing connection since they first met at age 14 months!

Mmmm. Cookies!
And Ices!

By the time the play date was over, it seemed too late to head to a campsite, so we set up the tent in the backyard. The tent, for those who are interested, is a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2-man backpacking tent. It has served me well over the years, being both lightweight and quite weatherproof. It's very comfortable for one, and a bit too cozy for two. If I really get into the whole family camping thing, I'll need a new, bigger tent!

Unfortunately, once the tent was set up, things started to deviate from the plan. It was obvious that something was wrong when I crawled into the tent, invited FBS to join me, and instead of coming right in, he let out a scream and ran crying back to the house. Hmm.

I followed him into the house and found Mrs. Packman feeling his forehead. She quickly informed me that he was burning up. Yup, I was so focused on sleeping outside in a tent with my son that I missed the fact that he had an almost 103 degree fever. Bad dad.

We broke out the children's Motrin and sent put FBS to bed. Inside the house.

The next morning FBS still had a fever, but the In Laws were nice enough to let me and Mrs Packman sleep in. I took FBS to a local playground for a bit to burn off some energy before the drive home, and he had a great time there.

We watched a fantastic thunderstorm come in over the mountains, packed up the car, and headed back to Brooklyn.

So, what did Packman learn?

• Kids are loads of fun (but he already knew that)
• Kids enjoy things much more when they do not have a fever
• Moms like it when you pay attention to how your kids are feeling, even when you are in the midst of having an exciting adventure.

Alas, the camping out will have to wait for another day. I'm now planning on Labor Day weekend, but I'm sure there will be more adventure before then!

Camping With The Boy

OK, the plan is to sleep out in a tent with First Born Son (FBS) this Saturday night. We'll be heading up to the Woodstock, NY area on Friday to spend the weekend with my in-laws, and if all goes according to plan, FBS and I will escape late Saturday afternoon and head out to the woods somewhere. I'd like to eat dinner together, and then sleep in a tent.

Of course, the backup plan is to pitch the tent in the in-law's backyard. This is what Mrs. Packman is pulling for.

This will not be FBS's first foray into the woods. That happened last summer, when he was about one year old:

FBS, Mrs. Packman, The In-laws, and I climbed to the Overlook Mountain firetower just outside of Woodstock. It's only about 2.5 miles to the top on an old jeep road, but it's uphill the entire way and a pretty good way to guage your fitness.

FBS had a great time on the hike, but I did most of the work. I guess you can't expect a toddler to carry his own gear.

Weight on your back: 22 lbs

Distance to the top: 2.5 miles

Seeing the look on the face of a city kid the first time he gets out in the woods: PRICELESS!

Seeing the look on the face of his mother when you come across a timber rattlesnake: frightening

No, I didn't know there were rattlesnakes in New York State either. Apparently, Overlook Mountain is one of the few spots where they can be reliably seen in the state. We saw four or five of them at different times on this hike.

The goal of the hike was the firetower at the summit:

From the top of the tower there are spectacular views.

That's the Ashokan Resevior, which supplies some of the drinking water to New York City. Apparently there's some great fishing in the resevior if you get a special permit, as well as deer, bear, and small game hunting in the surrounding woods. I'll have to check that out for future adventures.

If you're looking for an easy hike with young children in the woodstock area, or an outdoors diversion from more "touristy" activities in the Hudson Valley, I highly recommend Overlook Mountain. It's great views for the effort.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello! My name is Packman

and I live in Brooklyn, NY, with my lovely wife Mrs. Packman

And two fantastic children:

Before these two great kids arrived, Mrs. Packman and I went on many exciting adventures, often with a cast of characters that included many good friends. For the last two years, the adventuring has taken a backseat to more prosaic concerns, such as changing dirty diapers and making sure the kids were bathed and in bed on time. (Those of you with kids of your own will understand that this, too, has been an adventure, though of a completely different sort.)

Anyhow, now that Firstborn Son (FBS) is two years old, it's time for the adventuring to begin anew. I hope you'll join us. I can't promise that all the posts will deal with adventures of the traditional sort, nor can I assure I'll avoid all mention of poopy diapers, but I can assure you it will be a fun ride.

Splogu!