Cold Camping: Update

We made it! We survived 42-degree tent camping. Brrrr.... Dino slept in his very own tent, all by himself, all night long! Of course I forgot to take a picture of the tents.... Bad Blogger Mom!

Dino and I got to the park about 7pm on Friday. Tim was at a church softball game, so I started setting up the big tent while Dino ran to the playground with the other Scouts. I was just about finished when one of the dads walked up and said, "Well, I was going to offer to lend you a hand with that, but it looks like you've got it under control yourself...." There wasn't much he could do at that point. I have put up a tent or two in my day, thank ya very much!

After our tent was up, Dino got his tent out, laid it flat, put the poles together, and threaded them through. He helped stabilize the tent while I seated the poles in the corners. I made sure both tents were staked well, and Tim got there just in time to help carry all of the gear to the tents.

Tim had gotten 40-to-60 degree sleeping bags for each of us. They were only $16 each, and worth every penny. I put a quilt on the bottom of Dino's tent, layered a foam mattress topper between the quilt and the sleeping bag for comfort, and lined his sleeping bag with a soft blanket.

As the sun was starting to go down, the temperature also started to drop, and everyone huddled around the campfire for s'mores. It didn't take long for the sugar to wear off, and the boys started to get very tired. Dino put on his pajamas, dry socks, and a toboggan cap (to keep his head warm, since that's the only body part not inside the sleeping bag). He snuggled down into his sleeping bag and was out like a light. I had told him he could come into our tent during the night if he got too cold, but he slept soundly in the crisp air all night!

I, on the other hand, had to get up twice during the night.... At least the park had nice restrooms with real plumbing!

As the sun came up on Saturday morning, everyone began to wake up. Dino got up with a big smile on his face, proud of his new accomplishment and eager to do it again soon! :)