Last night I had one of those "How did this become my life?" moments. Not in a bad way, like "For the love of yarn! What have I gotten myself into?" It was more along the lines of "Huh? Didn't see this coming."
We've been gearing up for summer here at Casa De Haven. Last night we where going thru all our 1st Aid Kits, making sure they where stocked and ready to go.
It was while sifting thru the contents of SIX kits (camper, backpack, truck, car, motorcycle, oh and lets check the snowmobile kit while we're at it, but we sold the boat, so we won't need that one...) that the "You've come a long way, Baby" thoughts started rolling around my head.
When Shane and I where dating and newly married, gas was pretty cheap. We spent most of our free time driving around Southern Utah, just to see what was out there. I marvel at the difference in our pack back then.
THEN vs NOW
Might as well start with
1st Aid Kits:
Then: If we even had a 1st Aid Kit it was because Shane's Dad was sneaky enough to toss one into the truck when we weren't looking.
Now: We carry one where ever we go.
Time spent camping, hiking or just roaming:
Then: When ever we wanted, where ever was interesting and for as long as we felt like.
Now: When ever we can manage to sneak away from everyday life (honestly, we're still pretty good at this one) Where we can find a trail suitable to Connor's short legs and attention span and that we can make it up while being weighed down by the 1st Aid Kit or where we can find something that will add to the education or life experience of those 2 preteens that follow us every where we go. Our time frame is based on them as well. We work around Scout Camp, Deacon's Quorum responsibilities, homework, neighborhood jobs, music lessons....the list goes on and on...
Gear:
Then: Shane came into our relationship with a pretty great sleeping bag, a camp stove and some cooking pots. At some point he picked up a tent and sleeping bag (for me) he bought in a "seconds" sale. That was pretty much it.
Now: The sporting good industry is based on suckers like me...I mean families like ours. Everyone HAS to have snow boots, hiking boots, water shoes, backpacks, day packs, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, emergency whistles, emergency food, fire starting equipment, a way to purify water, 3 types of helmets.....ect...sigh
Clothing:
Then: Packing extra clothes was always optional. We never knew where we would go or how long we'd be, so we never knew what to pack for. We spent most of our time "roughing it" in what ever we where wearing.
Now: It seems like
every time we leave the house all 4 of us need a complete change of clothes, plus 2 extra pairs of sock, bug spray, sunscreen, something to draw on, a book to listen to and something to do, once we get where ever we are going (and disappointingly, our destination is always thoroughly preplanned) And let's not even talk about hygiene. Now that I am responsible for the teeth of 2 other people, I am obsessive about the state of everyone's toothbrush.
Food:
Then: We didn't think that much about food back then. Sometimes I would pack us a lunch. And sometimes we would plan a camp fire dinner, but not usually on the same trip. And we practically never thought about breakfast, until it was time to eat breakfast. I never bought coolies, crackers, granola bars or fruit snacks.
Now: I find that meal planning is one of the easiest ways to create a successful trip. We plan meals and we plan back up meal. The more complicated the trip, the more planning goes into the food. And if we're going to be in the car for more than 4 hours, there will be snacks.
When it comes down to it, I could describe the difference between "then and now" in one word: PLANNING. To combat rising fuel prices, time constants, and the need a growing boy has to eat every 23 minutes, I have planned all the irresponsible, carefree and spontaneous trips right out of our lives.
For about a minute and a half, I mourned the loss of our lighthearted trips to no where in particular. Then I remembered the amazement in Perrin's 3 year old voice the first time he hiked up to the Willow Flat Spring. All the hassle of making sure my boys have sun screen, water bottles, hats and good shoes is worth every SECOND because I have heard these words, in variation, over and over in the 13 years I have been a parent:
"Dad! How did you find this place!"
