I forgot how much I like camping

I hadn't been camping in what seemed like 60 years, so I coerced some family members into taking a little trip with me—for Anna's sake, you know? She had never been, and it was high time she had such an experience. (As a side note, it's a little weird, realizing that I have memories from when I was 5, so now Anna's going to remember what we do. There's pressure now to give her some good ones.)

Anyway, we went up American Fork canyon to the Timpooneke campground last week. A note on the name: I grew up saying it "Tim-puh-noo-kee." Then, on one trip, we actually stopped and looked at the sign and realized it should probably be said, "Tim-poo-nee-kee." While old habits are hard to break, I was resolved to not sound uneducated when I called to check on available sites before we left. I said it the new way, although it sounded awkward to my ears, and the lady on the other end replied, "Oh, Tim-puh-noo-kee? There are plenty of sites available." I didn't know if I should stand corrected or feel superior. (And it turns out that, along with possibly saying the name correctly, this lady also couldn't tell the truth. There weren't plenty, and that's why our super cool camping trip lasted fewer than 24 hours. But that's a story for another day. We actually managed to fit quite a bit in those few hours, so there's plenty more to say here. :D)

Things I loved and remembered and remembered I loved during our camping trip:

1. It's amazing how quickly your standards of cleanliness can change. There's no soap outside the bathrooms? Just give your hands a quick rinse and you'll be fine. Dirt under your fingernails? It'll make your food taste better. Your daughter has dirt-encrusted marshmallow remnants on her face? We'll clean it off in the morning.
2. I love that, no matter where you turn, every sight is majestic. Our mountains are gorgeous. I love that they're so close and so amazing.
3. Anna loved seeing a few chipmunks and potguts up close. They quite liked our food and we even put down a few snacks so they would come even closer. We also heard such a fun bird chirping in the trees and tried to recreate it. Later, when two potguts had found our garbage and were eating our breakfast crumbs, they started to fight over it . . . using the very same chirping noise we had heard before! We were both delighted to find the real source of the chirping. Those tubby little potguts . . . one even ran away with a whole sheet of tinfoil. I hope it didn't eat it.
4. I love camping food. For one thing, we always seem to bring snacks and treats we otherwise wouldn't be eating, but everything else always tastes delicious out in the wild. I don't know what it is.
5. I loved not caring about what I was wearing or if it got dirty—because it undoubtedly would. And you know how I feel about not showering too often, so that's never been a problem for me where camping is concerned. Camping is the perfect excuse for untamed hair.

   

   This was on our hike in what is known as Julie Andrews Meadow. The wildflowers were gorgeous; I think she would be honored.
6. I loved introducing Anna to fire safety, how to roast the perfect marshmallow, how it's okay to not use soap when you're camping because we didn't bring any, stinging nettle, how we play lots of games when we go camping, mosquito bites, and what to do if she sees a bear.
7. One of Anna's favorite parts of the trip? Jumping on all the pads and pillows in the tent. We got some good action shots.

If you ever get a chance to hike the Timpooneke trail (Tim-puh-noo-kee? Eh, potato, potahto), take it. The hike wasn't that long or arduous and it had a little bit of everything: we crossed streams, picked flowers in the meadow, walked through a dense and anciently old forest of pines, we saw babbling brooks—the works. It was absolutely idyllic.