Camping with a Baby

 

Preparing for camping 101: What is a tent

I hate to admit it, but I was nervous to go camping with a baby.  I love the outdoors, love camping, love being a mom, and want Pace to love the outdoors as much as I do, but it was intimidating to bring him out camping this first time.  I think that my biggest fear was that he wouldn't sleep at all because he was cold and in a tent, but that didn't seem to be a problem.  He slept pretty soundly, although he did get a little cold, because he likes to move around and get out of his blankets when he sleeps.  This was easily remedied by wrapping him back up and sometimes letting him into our sleeping bags.  Overall we got a decent amount of sleep.  To be honest, the hardest part was when I didn't want to breast feed at night I had no way of warming up his bottle quickly and he wouldn't drink it cold.  So I ended up breastfeeding anyways, and it all worked out.

The boys sleeping in in the morning.

We had pancakes off the griddle for breakfast, Pace liked them.

Exploring the campground road

We went down to the Missouri National Scenic River ways to Alley Spring.  It is a pretty big campground, but because it is early in the season we had a whole loop to ourselves.  Alley Springs is located on Jacks Fork River and is very historical.  It is the location of a ghost town.  All that is left is the mill, and it is really pretty.  They also moved in a school that is from that area closer, so they are all in the same location.
My favorite part was the hiking of course.  We were able to do the spring overlook trail and it had a spectacular view.

The mill was under construction, so we couldn't get to close.

The mill from across the spring

From the overlook, the little white building is the old school house.

Enjoying the hike in style

We also went over to Prairie Hollow Gorge.  On the map it located where th trail started and that it was more of a boulder scramble that a hike.  Of course, because of all the Utah hikes I've done I was thinking boulder field.  It was totally different (of course because there are no huge mountains in Missouri), in a good way.  Finding the trail was difficult, but we finally found this little trail sign about 100 ft off the little dirt road and a very faded trail.  We could tell it didn't get much use.  The beginning was just a forest hike until you got to the cliffs along the valley.  And then there was a "bolder scramble" down through a little ravine in the cliffs.  And it was my first experience of what an Ozark Shut-in is.  It is a little valley that has been carved int boulders where the water gets shut in in parts to form pools and waterfalls.  This little hollow was beautiful.  We're not expert photographers, so our pictures only do it half justice (if even that, it was pretty amazing).

The natural bowl

Jake thought it was pretty cool that this tree broke in half so levelly, it almost looked like someone had sawed it down, but it was natural.

Our last stop was an old fire tower.  It was pretty awesome.

Looking down at Penny and Jake (Pace was asleep in the car so we couldn't climb it together).

There's Jake climbing it.

So, I'd count that camping trip a success.  Now we have so many more to look forward to!