Mt Charleston - Hiking, Camping, Rain, & Fun!

A few weeks ago we went hiking at Mt. Charleston with our good friends (ex New Yorkers) the Hemingways.   We had a great time and--more than anything--enjoyed the cool weather.  An increase of 6000 feet in elevation can cool things off by 20 or 25 degrees.  

View on the hike

Family snapshot.  Jack taking a snooze.

On our trip we noticed several campgrounds and our friends suggested we return in 2 weeks for an overnight camp out.  All agreed. 

We began our preparations and lists -- tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, matches, menus, etc. Most importantly, we began the endless shopping trips trying to find jackets, coats, or hats.  Usually when we asked about these items we received the answer, "Oh, we'll be getting our coats and hats in 3-4 weeks."  Not exactly helpful.

The weekend arrived and we headed out.  The trip had a rough start but ended up being really fun.  

Notes for next time.

1)  Leave early from work.  Things always take longer than you think in packing up the car and setting up camp.  It was dark when we arrived making it a bit harder to prepare dinner and set up tents.  Perhaps feeding the babies dinner before we left would have helped as well.

2) Make a reservation for a campsite.  It's a scary feeling driving from campground to campground and seeing the sign "Campground Full". 

3) Send the men up ahead of time to set up camp.  There's nothing like trying to keep starving, tired one-year olds out of the way.  Tents and poles just look so fun!

4) Prepare for it to rain all night even if you do live in Vegas.  It rained all night long.  From inside the tent it sounded like a hurricane. (Luckily, Bryce and Ryan both set up the rain shields on both tents.)  

5) Ignore the weather man.

6) Take the Hemingways again.  They provide lots of great laughs and entertainment.

7) Don't buy camping chairs at Wal-mart.  They don't let you recline much or, as Bryce says, "It makes you feel like you are sitting on the toilet."  If you bring these chairs, you also run the risk that Bryce will brake the chair and then proceed to burn it in the fire with Ryan's assistance.

8) Take some family photos perhaps in front of the tent.  We missed out doing so on this trip.

Jack fascinated with the lantern

Setting up camp

My boys

Jack enjoying the morning fire