Family camping trip

Awesome family outing!! ?
Sorry about the snow, but there will be another trip there!
 
The kids (and both of you) will enjoy those awesome pics for the rest of your lives!
 
MoKan said:
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.
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this tent is awesome! at 10x14 it's massive but makes things way more comfortable for the family. It's canvas so it weighs a ton, something like 75lbs. So it's definitely a car camping/base camp only tent!

It's a Kodiak Canvas "Flex Bow". Spendy but best tent I've ever owned. I can set it up myself in under 15 mins. Pro tip: rather than pound in the foot long stakes (18 of them) that come with the tent, I got giant lag bolts and washers and i use my impact wrench to drive them into the ground.

The tent held up with the snow but was sagging pretty bad, but once I got in and knocked the snow off the "roof" from inside, it was totally fine. I was a little worried that if we stayed and it snowed heavily overnight it could be a problem, but if you stay on top of clearing it off then it's no big deal.

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jhblaze1 said:
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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But see? It's exactly what was supposed to happen! Memories aren't made and remembered through just boring and frustrating car trips......
Though disappointed in the time, this will stick with your family for a long time. It will be a "hey, tell 'em about that time in the snow with the tent" thing, and it will be all laughs and remembering the good times.
When I take the family out in the boat and it's just a great day on the lake, they forget about it a few years later. But when it broke down on us at Lake of the Ozarks, on Memorial day weekend several years ago.......they still talk about that. And they will probably always will. It's just one of those things.......

Glad to know everyone on your side was ok during the trip!
Next time will be great, and perhaps better prepared for the unexpected!
Cheers!
 
JIGAWATTS said:
But see? It's exactly what was supposed to happen! Memories aren't made and remembered through just boring and frustrating car trips......
Though disappointed in the time, this will stick with your family for a long time. It will be a "hey, tell 'em about that time in the snow with the tent" thing, and it will be all laughs and remembering the good times.
When I take the family out in the boat and it's just a great day on the lake, they forget about it a few years later. But when it broke down on us at Lake of the Ozarks, on Memorial day weekend several years ago.......they still talk about that. And they will probably always will. It's just one of those things.......

Glad to know everyone on your side was ok during the trip!
Next time will be great, and perhaps better prepared for the unexpected!
Cheers!
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+2 for this. I don't remember the times where everything went smooth. Breaking down on a mountain road in an old van was something I remember the best. It really sucked then, but it's funny as shit now. The kids probably loved the snow.
 
DrinkingInTheWoods said:
+2 for this. I don't remember the times where everything went smooth. Breaking down on a mountain road in an old van was something I remember the best. It really sucked then, but it's funny as shit now. The kids probably loved the snow.
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+3
For me it was sitting on the side of I80 in Western NE with a blown tire on the pup-up and a flat spare. Mom went to find a new one and Dad and I stayed behind. He pulled it WAY off the road.
 
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jhblaze1 said:
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 know this feeling. Mine are 1 and 3, also with a city slicker wife and a dog means a different kind of camping than a 8 day boondock camp on the motorcycle with my buds.

You probably could have made it work, but it's a type of fun that others don't understand if they can't see the challenge.
 
jhblaze1 said:
this tent is awesome! at 10x14 it's massive but makes things way more comfortable for the family. It's canvas so it weighs a ton, something like 75lbs. So it's definitely a car camping/base camp only tent!

It's a Kodiak Canvas "Flex Bow". Spendy but best tent I've ever owned. I can set it up myself in under 15 mins. Pro tip: rather than pound in the foot long stakes (18 of them) that come with the tent, I got giant lag bolts and washers and i use my impact wrench to drive them into the ground.

The tent held up with the snow but was sagging pretty bad, but once I got in and knocked the snow off the "roof" from inside, it was totally fine. I was a little worried that if we stayed and it snowed heavily overnight it could be a problem, but if you stay on top of clearing it off then it's no big deal.

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Cool tip, that's clever with the lag bolts. ?
 
Thanks for sharing. Your description of the plans and than how it played out are a great way for the group to enjoy your family outing as well. The pictures are awesome, so cool you live within driving distance of such beauty.

Smart choice to spend special time with the family. ?

When I was a teen-ager I worked in a machine shop for summer money. My buddies and I would work as much OT as they would allow. One day the old shop foreman walked up when we were signing up for weekend OT and said, "boys, all that money and the time you spent earning it will be gone shortly. Someday you won't think about the money but you'll wish to God you could get the time back again".
 
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Looks like a great trip with great memories! We have had several ridgebacks over the years and they are great dogs. We currently have a German Shorthair Pointer (also great dogs) but will be looking for another ridgeback soon.
 
My wife is going to Alaska over July 4th weekend for a wedding and taking our daughter. Son and I are staying home, so if I can get another site at Sequoia I'm going to attempt a re-do with just him, myself, and the dog.
 
jhblaze1 said:
My wife is going to Alaska over July 4th weekend for a wedding and taking our daughter. Son and I are staying home, so if I can get another site at Sequoia I'm going to attempt a re-do with just him, myself, and the dog.
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Everything happens for a reason! The boys and the dog......love it!
Now we're talking memory material!
 
mds2004 said:
Whereabouts in Sequoia do you usually go? I've done Peppermint Creek and we get a permit to cut down a Christmas Tree every year which is usually near Sherman Peak.
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This time we stayed at Lodgepole campground which is right off the General's Highway about 2 miles from the General Sherman tree. Last year we stayed at Potwisha which is in the foothills near Three Rivers.
 
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