Camping seems like a great idea until you find yourself coated in mosquito bites, sleeping on a rapidly deflating air mattress, and lathering your children in calamine lotion because of a mysterious rash.
Why do people in first-world countries see the need to schlep their belongings out to the woods to sleep on the ground? Isn’t one of the benefits of being citizens of a developed nation the fact that we have beds, shelter, etc.?
I didn’t think about any of this as I happily agreed to go camping with two other families at Edisto Island State Park this weekend. Roaring fire? S’mores? Getting back to nature? Sign me up.
But these should have been my first and second clues that this was a bad idea:
Uh oh.
The creatures were out in full force. Worms were rappelling out of the trees like Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible.”
This worm took up residence in my hair.
And that suited Dominic and Gideon just fine.
Dominic shows off his worm habitat.
To be fair, the campsite was equipped with water and electricity, so it is not like we were truly roughing it.
Camp, sweet camp
But as soon as we put up the tent, it rained. And rained. And rained. We stayed inside and watched superhero cartoons.
The rain finally moved on, leaving everything dirty and muddy. Nate’s shoes were destroyed, so he borrowed Charlotte’s as he went to get a drink (and grab Charlotte’s purse).
Nate brings sexy back.
Despite the monsoon, we did have the requisite cookout, fire and s’mores.
And Nate’s sexy look worked on someone: a friendly Southern toad.
The next day we hit the beach.
This is one way to keep him still.
Gideon can't stand to be left out.
Dominic finds some kind of crab.
New media and old media happily coexist on the beach.
Good company, lots of laughs, and some relaxation almost made up for the critters, dirt and back pain.
However, as Eddie groused the whole time he was loading and unloading the car, I’m going to guess that is the last time he strays from the comfort of his own habitat.
Observe and report 
As a South Carolinian, I am pleased to see you visit my state. As a person who enjoys camping, hiking and generally being outdoors, I am worried about that laptop. However, having not yet raised children, I feel uncomfortable passing any sort of judgement. For your next trip you should head to Table Rock in Pickens, S.C. Stay in a cabin perhaps? The hike up the mountain is pretty easy. At the top, you can walk right out to the ledge (no rails or anything) and lay on the warm stone and enjoy the view parallel to the birds.
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A cabin would probably be a better option. The laptop was Eddie’s idea, but it turned out to be a good one. It kept folks calm and happy during the downpour.
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The DVD player in the tent cracks me up. Though I am disappointed by the dearth of pictures of Lee’s camping beard.
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When you have kids, you have to plan ahead for problems such as rain. We also played UNO.
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I was saddened that the general tone of this post is not, “Oh hell yeah, let’s do it again tomorrow!” Then, I saw that the most hilarious photo of my husband here to date is included, so I was instantly cheered up. This blog is an emotional roller coaster!
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I had a great time and I’m looking forward to Cumberland. Eddie, however, is not. He’s old and cranky and doesn’t want to be bothered with the packing and unpacking. He actually said, “The best part about it was sitting around the fire talking, and we can do that in our backyard.” He does have a point.
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Maybe we CAN do it at home…but we don’t! Still, if you’re going for this “enjoy the benefits of camping and the comforts of home” thing, I’ll call you next time it rains and I need to spoon.
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Let me list the many ways camping sucks! The highlight! the fire and the stories with friends. Wait, I can do that at home…
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