After 2 summers of family camping trips, I'd finally learned 2 things that made for more enjoyable camping trips:
1) the work that goes into a camping trip is way more worthwhile if you're staying at least 2 nights
2) not every amazing camping destination is over 3 hours away from our home!
As a result of my learnings, I'd taken a Friday off and booked us into Selkirk, just over an hour from where we live. Now, because our camping trips generally involve a lengthy drive, we're used to leaving pretty early in the morning, so it didn't even occur to me that the Bean could've gone to school on Friday while we packed up! This would've saved me picking up the contents of the main floor of our home from the lower level, as the Bean greatly enjoys throwing anything and everything she can get her little hands on, while also packing up for our camping trip.
The sun was out and the mood was light as we pointed the the VW Camper Van South, bound for Selkirk Provincial Park for our first camping trip of the season. Once we arrived check-in was quick and easy and we made our way to an unmarked Campground 1, campsite 7. Most of the sites near us seemed quite large and had some degree of privacy and shade. A warning to any glampers out there: Campgrounds 1, 3 & 4 only have vault toilets, with a comfort station located at Campground 2. The fact that there was a beautiful view of the marsh on the way to the vault toilets helped make up for this minor inconvenience.
Back at the site, I set up a play tent. Our small 4 person tent made the perfect play area for the Bean. I spread a blanket on the floor, dumped the assortment of sensory toys and books I'd packed and we were off to the races. Or, at least able to set up camp while Bean was safely zipped into the tent (she hasn't quite figured out the tent zipper yet), playing happily. If you have a kiddo that needs to be closely monitored or simply one who likes to feel a part of the action, it's a good idea to find a tent that's mostly net, for maximum visibility.
Once the site was set up, Bean and I took a walk on the ring road. The challenge with these walks had always been getting the Bean to stop at the side of the road and wait as cars go by. Bean has many wonderful qualities, but patience is not among them (she takes after her mom in this respect). So, eventually I came up with the idea for us to stop at the side of the road when a car approached and wave. Bean gets to practice her side-to-side wave and nearly every camper who passes waves back with a huge grin on their face. We returned to the site, had dinner (thank you Compleat, our quick and easy tube-feeding solution for when we're away from home) and settled in, in front of a fire. Bean seems to just have discovered smoke because she danced around, trying to touch and grab at it with her hands, giggling. She was transfixed! Once it was dark enough, I lit jumbo sparklers, had a couple of S'mores and then it was off to bed. The VW was comfortable, but Bean had the usual amount of trouble winding down, so we were up for awhile. I've long accepted the fact that I won't get much sleep when we go camping.
The next day, Grandma/Grandpa joined us and we went for a hike on the Walker Trail. Made up of 2 loops, of 1 km. each, Walker Trail was an easy hike. Unfortunately, this was the Park's only trail, so easy or not, it's your only option! This was really the Park's only let-down. After our hike, we checked out the waterfront. There are two small rocky beach areas on either side of a large grassy park, complete with kid's playground. The Bean enjoyed throwing rocks on the beach, playing in small patches of sand and letting the wind rush through her hair. If you plan on swimming, best bring along some water shoes due to the rocky lake bottom. After dinner, Grandma/Grandpa headed home and we entertained ourselves around the fire until bedtime.
All in all, we found Selkirk to be a lovely and quiet Provincial Park and we enjoyed our stay. The highlight of this trip though, was seeing the progress that the Bean has made in the past year. Sure, there were times when the Bean tried to sneak off of the campsite, but not as many as last year. I also noticed my level of anxiety drop slightly while spending time with her around the campfire. She more willingly held my hand when we were walking around the campsite and stopped when asked. All too often, as I live our day to day, I fail to see the progress the Bean is making. Summer camping, after a year, provided a great opportunity to clearly see Bean's growth. While I know that there are many people involved in that progress, her ABA instructors, teacher, Educational Assistants, one-to-one worker and maybe even her parents - I'm mostly just proud of my daughter. I see the effort she makes to exercise her impulse control, I see her try so hard to understand and I see her strive to achieve what is being asked of her. I see you Bean.
Comments