Camping in Dixie National Forest

This past weekend we went camping in Dixie National Forest! Navajo Lake is so pretty and peaceful! Our camp site had the lake on one side and the forested mountains on the other side.

 

After we got our campsite set up, we went for a hike in the forest. We were in a much higher altitude and we could tell. The kids didn't seem to be affected, but Frank and I were breathing differently. Despite that we had an enjoyable hike.

We saw two deer. We watched them for a while. The kids quickly lost interest, but we grownups we impressed at being this close to deer in the wild. They kept an eye on us, but didn't seem to think we were a threat.

The kids were thrilled to find patches of snow! They played in it for quite a while. When their fingers got too cold they took a break and went back to it. Alex especially liked the snow.

Later we walked to the lake. The kids had a good time throwing rocks into the water. The wind was chilly so we didn't stay long.

Roasting hotdogs and marshmallows was a real treat. The kids played near the campsite for a long time. Sabrina loved the tents; she was constantly in and out of them. Alex got his first pocket knife and spent quite a while examining all the components.

 

In the late afternoon I took the kids on an adventure. (Frank had a headache and stayed at the camp site.) We walked along the beach and they had missions to complete. They climbed every boulder, stump, and log.

Somewhere along the way Alex lost his pocket knife. At first he just shrugged and said Papa would buy him another one. I didn't like that attitude at all. I told him that it wasn't fair to expect Papa to buy another one without even looking for it. We prayed then went back over our trail. We didn't find it and it was getting dark so we headed back to camp.

The sleepless night. We went to bed when it got dark. It was cold. We were all wearing multiple layers and the kids were snuggled in their sleeping bags. We were unable to blow up our air mattress, so we laid down the tarp folded over several times, the air mattress, and towels for padding. They didn't help much. Frank and I had one blanket between us. It was cold. We laughed about it then snuggled and went to sleep.

When we woke up it was so bright I said it must be near dawn. Frank looked at the time- it wasn't even midnight! It was cold. Later we woke up again. We took turns walking to the bathroom without needing the flashlight- the moon was that bright. We brought the kids into our tent and all shared their sleeping bags and our blanket. We woke up multiple times giggling about how cramped and cold we were.

The next morning the kids wanted another adventure. Alex insisted Papa had to come along this time. Alex was the commander this time and he expected Frank to climb every boulder, stump, and log. Frank climbed some, but not all. I found Alex's pocket knife where we had turned around the day before.

We hiked back to where the deer were. It was near another campsite that wasn't open; Frank and I sat at a picnic table and talked while the kids played. Alex played in the snow almost the whole time. Sabrina picked flowers (dandelions) to her heart's content.

After that we packed up and headed for home. We decided not to spend another sleepless night and we were sunburned. We had a wonderful time! We are looking forward to our next camping trip. We learned a lot from our mistakes on this one.

Marie-Anne