Family camping trip

jhblaze1

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2021 Agate Black 6.7 Tremor
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My son turned 6 today and wanted a camping trip. We're off to Sequoia NP tomorrow thru Sunday. Really looking forward to no work and no cell service!

I've got a quarter cord of coast live oak, a red oak species that I normally use in the smoker but don't want to pay ass rape prices near the park so bringing my own. This shit is super dense and weighs around 60lbs per cubic foot. By my math that's just shy of a ton in the truck. Truck not even sagging a bit.
Got a 125 Yeti loaded with beers and meat and my trusty Kodiak Canvas 10x14 tent. Camping at 7000 feet elevation so modded the tent to use a small woodstove as it will likely be in the 30s at night.

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I do have fire proof mat for under the stove... that's just a pic of the stove jack install.

Will post more pics when we get home!
 
That is awesome! Have fun and enjoy the times with him. They're only little once, and those memories are what they will remember about you when we're gone.
I only wish I had more time to do that with mine more often.
Great stove setup by the way!
I use to work around 1000 hours of overtime a year until one of my boys said “daddy all you do is work”.
from that moment forward I told myself that my kids come first. My job will never love me back.
 
What a good kid, wanting to go camping! Good move with the stove and a tier of oak, 39 degrees here this morning and I'm only at 2k ft.
I'm prepping to load the trailer & Tremor for a second annual family camp out at our upper ranch land on Memorial Day weekend, can't wait! My goal is to create lasting memories for all the kids. Activities will include tomahawk throw, archery, log chop, water boil, and blacksmithing.
 
Times like these with your son (Happy Birthday) are very memorable and valuable in life's lessons. Plus he is not sitting playing on the computer or game boy. Enjoy your trip and be safe.
 
Awesome. I can't wait until my boys (3 and 1) are old enough to do something similar in the Ozarks. Have fun.

BTW, how do you like your tent? I don't need a stove, but my current inventory of backpacking tents (motorcycle and kayak trips) won't cut it for family duties.
 
trip was a disaster lol. Got like 8 inches of snow on our second day! We were completely unprepared for that as the forecast had said mid to high 60s day and like 40 at night. Woke up at 7am to flurries so after breakfast we jumped in the truck and went to go see some big trees and short hikes.

When heading back to the campground in the afternoon the road (General's Hwy) was closed about 2 miles from our campground. there was apparently a head-on collision due to the snow and the rangers said it would be at least a few hours to get a tow truck up the mountain. When we finally got through, we saw the 2 cars all smashed to shit with ambulance so unfortunately looks like someone got hurt.

Pulling back into the campground there was nearly 8 inches of snow on the ground. It was like a one mile circle around the campground got all the snow. Drive a few miles in either direction and it reduced to a dusting. Really weird. Our tent was sagging, on the verge of collapse. We had no snow gear for the kids and didn't want to deal with the dog tracking snow and mud into the tent so we made a decision to call it and pack up camp. Poor kids sat in the truck for 2.5 hours while the wife and I broke camp down. Then we had an exhausting 5 hour drive home. By the time you get 1000 feet or so lower in elevation the snow was completely gone and it was like another word.

James Jr was disappointed/sad to see his trip cut short, but we'll try again later in the summer. We have another camping trip planned for June closer to home, and planning to do Joshua Tree in October. Might try to shimmy another Seqouia trip in late July or August when we know the weather will be less crazy.

We did have a blast for the short time we were there, but total bummer that we only stayed 1 night instead of 3. Had it been myself and some buddies we'd have stayed and figured it out, but no good with a 2 year old, 6 year old, a city girl wife, and the dog lol

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I use to work around 1000 hours of overtime a year until one of my boys said “daddy all you do is work”.
from that moment forward I told myself that my kids come first. My job will never love me back.
I know the feeling. Used to put in an extra 20 hours every other weekend. One morning I was walking out the door, gave my 3 yo daughter a hug good bye and told her I would see her in the morning. She started to cry saying that weekends were for family. The extra wasn't needed and I made that my last weekend - she is 16 now. Can never get that time back.
 
the good news is that after this disaster the wife if becomming a bit more receptive of my getting a travel trailer.
Spent the weekend camping at Lake Chelan, in our 29' TT. Wife or kids get too cold at night, turn on the furnace. It isn't the camping I grew up with, but it gets us out into nature and away from the house.
 
trip was a disaster lol. Got like 8 inches of snow on our second day! We were completely unprepared for that as the forecast had said mid to high 60s day and like 40 at night. Woke up at 7am to flurries so after breakfast we jumped in the truck and went to go see some big trees and short hikes.

When heading back to the campground in the afternoon the road (General's Hwy) was closed about 2 miles from our campground. there was apparently a head-on collision due to the snow and the rangers said it would be at least a few hours to get a tow truck up the mountain. When we finally got through, we saw the 2 cars all smashed to shit with ambulance so unfortunately looks like someone got hurt.

Pulling back into the campground there was nearly 8 inches of snow on the ground. It was like a one mile circle around the campground got all the snow. Drive a few miles in either direction and it reduced to a dusting. Really weird. Our tent was sagging, on the verge of collapse. We had no snow gear for the kids and didn't want to deal with the dog tracking snow and mud into the tent so we made a decision to call it and pack up camp. Poor kids sat in the truck for 2.5 hours while the wife and I broke camp down. Then we had an exhausting 5 hour drive home. By the time you get 1000 feet or so lower in elevation the snow was completely gone and it was like another word.

James Jr was disappointed/sad to see his trip cut short, but we'll try again later in the summer. We have another camping trip planned for June closer to home, and planning to do Joshua Tree in October. Might try to shimmy another Seqouia trip in late July or August when we know the weather will be less crazy.

We did have a blast for the short time we were there, but total bummer that we only stayed 1 night instead of 3. Had it been myself and some buddies we'd have stayed and figured it out, but no good with a 2 year old, 6 year old, a city girl wife, and the dog lol

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You made memories that they will always remember and probably laugh at though
 
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