Lost and Found

While writing the last blog it brought back special memories of a trip taken long ago.

We camped a lot in western Massachusetts, There were never any other African Americans. We never understood that. There was natural beauty and friendly people everywhere. And we still find that to be true when camping today.

Many years ago while camping, we had a most profound experience that we wanted to share with you.

It was the summer that our only child married and moved out of state. 
That was the beginning of our lives as empty nesters. Camping has always been a big part of our lives as a family. Making the transition without her was a new stage for us. 
We remember the trip well. First because of the group that came with us, four siblings, three sister in laws and their children. It was august, the days were warm enough to swim, the nightfall came early and the air cooled quickly. I'll never forget walking the trails that were filled with wild blackberries, which were so delicious.

The evenings by the campfire hold memories of detailed conversations of childhood antics. Boy, did we all learn a lot about our husbands! It was truly a time of bonding for all of us.

The weekend came to it's end and we packed up to head home.  
We were just about to pull off in our caravan of cars, when the sound of a mom frantically calling out for her son stopped us.

Apparently the very young boy had wondered off their site and was missing, We immediately joined the search. Dusk was upon us, and the campground was surrounded by woods. Everyone fanned out to search. All of a sudden, it was as if something came over me...

I began walking into the dense foliage, not knowing where it was heading, the fate of this young boy was driving me.

Walking through scratchy brambles and low hanging branches, a glimpse of movement off in the distance caught my eye. There, in what appeared to be a shallow animal hollow, was the little boy!!!

It was a bit chilly and he was cold and scared. I picked him up and turned to realize that I wasn't absolutely sure of my whereabouts. I began calling out to the group, who's voices helped guide us out the the forest area. The father grabbed his son and held him tightly without saying a word. The mother thanked us.

We returned to our cars to head home. All were still shocked and shaken. No one can explain the events of that day. One can only believe it was divine intervention.

But the most important thing to note is that campers are a family and always stick together.

We have never experienced anything like that day, and hope we never will... We have always felt safe and secure in the environment of campers. Remember Life is precious
and family is priceless. So get out, enjoy nature and go camping in color.

The Camping Consultants

Camping Inspiration

Swimming lessons with the neighborhood children

We want to tell you about our last camping trip.
In some ways it is what inspired us to write this blog.
Over the years we have introduced many people to camping.
But this most recent group has been notable.  
The variety of ages, ethnicity and social diversities.
We found the experience moving.

When we go camping we like to book in advance.
Doing so allows you to camp at a water front site.
Having a waterfront site is like being at your own exclusive beach.

It started as a week alone, just us two for five days.
we walked trails every morning with our dog.
Then came back, made coffee and took a morning swim in the lake.

This time we wanted to try something different, we wanted to catch stripper bass.
Usually we fish for whatever jumps on the hook. (lol)
So we purchased an umbrella rig and jig setup, and went trolling.

(click on the link for a look at the rig setup).
Trolling is when you are pulling bait (artificial or live) through the water slowly.
To our surprise, we caught two nice size striper bass in a short amount of time.
Now that was a great day!
It didn't matter to us if any other fish were caught for the remaining days.
What excitement!
The rig setup worked just like on tv without the edits.
Our fishing needs were met!

With all the places we could go, who would have guessed
that spending twenty two dollars a night.
So close to home, would fulfill our needs.
An entire week spent on on the lake.
No television other than a movie night.
No cell phone signal other than text messages.
No restaurants.
Just us and all the natural beauty that nature has to offer.

The week ended with a group camping outing.
Spanning four sites including our own. Twelve adults, eight kids,and four dogs.
Not to mention those who came down for the day.
The children swimming all day. While others spent time catching fish.
The ones who couldn't swim were introduced to a new experience, they had to be forced to leave the water to eat.
Some rode bikes while others hiked the trails.
By this time in the trip, we were content with basking in the sun, while taking in the view of the lake.
After a full week we returned home feeling refreshed and renewed, with a great time had by all.

Our next camping outing is all set for the labor day holiday.
Look for a lot more information on ways to make your camping experience a trip to remember.

The Camping Consultants®