spring outside: a weekend camping

setting up the tent for the first time this year.

Spring is really a season of firsts: the first bird calls of the year, the first day eating lunch in the sunshine, the first tulips sprouting up. This weekend, I had one of my most treasured firsts - the first camping trip of the year. I know there are plenty of folks who take pride in camping year-round but I am not one of them. I think of camping as a summer-only activity and typically wouldn’t plan a trip until at least June. The weather has been lovely lately, so we just went for it. I am so glad we did! Spring camping meant no mosquitoes, sunny days for hiking and crisp, cool nights for sleeping. I’ll be making a habit of it.

Car camping is the best because you can bring a few comforts of home. I have done many camping trips without one but a tablecloth is a game changer.

This past camping weekend was made up of all of my favorite things. We percolated coffee both mornings and drank it in the sun. I woke up to a chorus of bird calls in the morning. We hiked and saw wildflowers and stunning scenery. I finished the phenomenal book This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell. From the flowers to the weather and the birdcalls, I felt entirely immersed in the magic of spring.

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While the camping itself is lovely, packing for it is generally a little overwhelming and honestly chaotic. You have to remember every. single. thing. that you need in order to sleep and to eat and to clean and to sit. Over the last few summers of pretty regular camping trips, I have developed a packing system that (while it isn’t rocket science) has brought me a lot ease. I use the Notes app to list out all the meals I am planning to cook, all the ingredients I will need (down to salt, oil, etc., truly each and every ingredient), cooking equipment needed, and finally camp supplies. I check items off the list as they’re packed. While I am actually on the trip (this is what makes the strategy so useful!), anything that I wish I had packed I add to the list (rubber bands, newspaper, and a hammer for tent stakes were all recent additions). Before the next camping trip, I make a copy of the note and update it with a new meal plan and grocery list.

Just before the vista/turn-around point of the hike. A very young child heading back to the trailhead here told us we were “gonna see the bestest thing ever.”

In case you, like me, love a packing list, I’m sharing mine below. For this trip, we were camping in a state park and spent our afternoons/evenings in a local town so I only cooked breakfast in camp. This is pretty typical for me! Enjoy a camp breakfast, go for a hike nearby and then head into a nearby town for some sightseeing and a meal out.

Winona Camping Menu/Packing list

Saturday

• Breakfast scramble

• Coffee and half-n-half

Sunday

• Pancakes and bacon

• Coffee and half-n-half

Food to pack:

• Eggs - 4

• Bacon - 1/2 pound

• Shredded cheddar

• Bell pepper

• Onion

• Potato

• Ground coffee

• Salt

• Pancake mix

• Syrup

• Butter - 1/4 cup

• Milk - 1 1/2 cups

Cooking equipment:

• Cooler

• Stove

• Gas

• Cast iron skillet

• Percolator

• Mixing bowl

• Dish towel

• Hot pad

• Sponge

• Dish soap

• Cutting board

• Knife

• Spoonula

• Plates

• Mugs

• Utensils

• Tablecloth

• Water jug

• Garbage bag

• Paper towel

• Packable sink **added to my list mid-trip

• Rubber bands **

• Note: I keep all my camp kitchen supplies in this organizer and I am obsessed!

Camp supplies

• Tent

• Sleeping pads

• Sleeping bags

• Pillows

• Headlamp

• Lantern

• Lighter

• Clothesline and clothespins

• Camp chairs

• First aid kit

• Sunscreen

• Bug spray

• Cards

• Newspaper **

• Hammer **

A gorgeous vista at Great River Bluffs State Park

While this would have been a lovely trip as is, the real stunner was the surprise northern lights that showed up BOTH nights of the trip. The changing, colorful streaks across the sky and the hundreds of stars shining through was just awe-inspiring. I wasn’t expecting to ever see the northern lights in my lifetime and it was powerful. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

The gist of it (like it always is) is simply: get outside this spring! If you’re a camper (or camping curious), go for it. Find a weekend you are free and reserve a site. If a day trip, a hike, or just a walk in your local park is more your jam, find some time and do it. The wildflowers (and who knows! maybe the northern lights) are waiting for you.

Thank you for reading! If you’d like more nudges to live seasonally, please subscribe to seasonal things.

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