Camping at Granite Flat

Without too much deliberation, we settled on Granite Flat campground as our hoped-for camping destination last weekend. It's about as far up American Fork Canyon as you can get, making its views pretty fantastic; it's also farther from the road (and associated noise and traffic and non-wilderness). Although there are probably 100 sites in the campground, most of them were already occupied by weekending RVs when we arrived, but we were lucky enough to pull up right as another family was pulling out and the camp manager was making his rounds, so we snagged a good site without too much trouble.

Our campsite was right on the edge of a pretty deep, river-cut ravine - great for soothing sleeping sounds, not so great for easily collecting firewood, especially with eager, little helpers. Although, for Topher and Maddie, helping collect the firewood was complicated by its location on a steep cliff, they were expert fire-fanners.

After a long walk at Tibble Fork Reservoir, we all had empty bellies, waiting to be filled with delicious tin-foil dinners and plenty of Pringles, too (or less solid foods for the likes of Caroline). 

When the sun went down, the s'mores came out. So did a round-robin bedtime story about Barbie, Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana, who went on a camping trip together but ended up making a get-away in Barbie's pink convertible, headed for the beach. It was all very suspenseful. 

Bedtime still comes, even on a campout, so eventually it was time to start what would be a very long process of getting Topher and Maddie to sleep, what with all the excitement and sugar coursing through their little, exhausted bodies. Christie didn't get much (any?) sleep between keeping the kiddos safe and warm, but Drew and I actually slept better on this campout than most. Sharing a mummy sleeping bag is definitely the way to go when staying toasty is the goal. Now we just need one designed for two people. And maybe some footie pj's like Maddie's. 

In spite of our general sleepiness, we were up pretty early the next morning - probably earlier than the neighbors snoozing soundly in their RVs would have liked. As if we didn't have enough chocolate the night before, there was plenty more of it waiting for us in the morning - in hot liquid and doughnut-glaze forms.

After breakfast, we got busy packing up camp. Caroline, who isn't much help in the packing department, was banished to her pack-and-play, much to her chagrin.

But how do you say no to that face? Luckily for Caroline, she has an auntie who doesn't know how, so she was promptly rescued for one last stroll to the (horrible) bathrooms and back before embarking on our big adventure to Cascade Springs. 

We were initially a little unsure about whether those little bodies (especially with Maddie's tendency to classify so many things as "ewww") could handle the mud and the muck of camping, not to mention the coldness of the night. They were extraordinary troopers, though. I'll sleep outside on the cold, hard ground with those three (five... we like camping with Christie and Tyler, too) anytime.

Up next: Cascade Springs!