We headed to the Bear Valley area to go camping for a weekend. Over 30 campers converged in a clearing among large pines next to the shore of Lake Union. Although the days were warm, the nights were very cool and the lake water cold.

We’ve camped here many times but it’s been a while since we’ve gone camping as my cousins and I have been busy growing our families. During the lapse in time we just thought it was too difficult bringing our little babies camping. Well, now they’ve grown a bit and we don’t have to watch over them as closely. It’s time to go camping again.

My cousin has a boat and he is our ferry to take camping gear from the ramp to the camp site about a quarter of a mile away. The rest of us try and lug what we can over the trails to the clearing. It’s not that far but the amount of stuff we bring on these camping trips makes you wonder just how long we plan on staying. Each family fills their SUVs full of stuff to provide comfort and convenience to the outdoors and most importantly supply food to ever hungry campers.

There is no running water, no toilets, no showers, no bbq pits, nothing. We have to set up camp and prepare for all the necessities. It’s really quite a production. We set up the toilet tent, lay out our showers to start warming in the sun, put up the tent with blow up mattresses, set up the lines for our towels to dry, the kitchen area complete with camping stoves, bbq pit created, wood gathered for campfires and fishing lines readied in the water.

All well worth the effort once camp is set up, a cold beer in one hand and the other is your face with food. It seems that camping brings out the hunger in everyone. In the morning breakfast is such a production cooking eggs, bacon, pancakes and bulad, that’s dried fish for you non-Filipinos. Once we’re done with clean up from breakfast, we have enough time to go off on a walk for the nearest swimming hole. Then back to the campsite for lunch. Another walk or siesta after lunch. The more energetic get in canoes or kayaks and paddle around the lake. Catching fish is in the day’s agenda but that’s rather frustrating as this last trip got us 3 little fish, not enough for dinner.

After dinner, sitting around the campfire is both relaxing and dangerous as the kids like to play too close to the fire. Drawn to the light like bugs, you have to pull them away before someone gets hurt. Sitting around long enough makes you hungry again. This time for some Cup o’Noodles which goes really well with the rum cokes that have been going around all evening.

We’ve all decided that camping trips are really more about eating than anything else. All we do is eat and take breaks in between for other activities. That being said, I’ve decided we can’t go camping too often. It’s bad for my health.