camping in the mayapples

We started our trip with a rendezvous in Indiana, where we camped with two of my cousins a year ago.  Our first night of camping looked a lot like a night in a hotel, heating up camp chili in a microwave and swimming in an over-chlorinated pool...after a day of driving in pouring rain and high winds no one was in shape to set up camp in the cold rain.

When the morning came we saw sunshine and so headed to the campground for our second night. Setting up our tent next to a sea of mayapples felt very auspicious...

 I had worried that we would be leaving spring completely behind in Ohio, but was delighted to find things in bloom - trillium, cutleaf toothwort, hepatica, anemone, and these beautiful jack-in-the-pulpits.

My cousin sisters

The Littles

Wild Ginger in bloom

 We hiked in the Pine Hills National Preserve, where we had hiked last year. The creek held our attention (no little gnats this year!) for a long while - so much poking around, creating a bridge, building, discussing, negotiating, slipping and getting wet...

Brother bridge

 On our way back we came across a snake in the path...

 There were several mushroom hunters out in the woods while we were hiking.  I assumed they were hunting the elusive morel. Look what I found at the edge of our campsite...(yeah, I was pretty excited. I think I took 20 or so pictures...but no, I didn't eat it.)

 The grownups were a little reluctant to go through with this camping night; we were disheartened by the weather we'd driven through, and the mechanics of camping are tiring.  Ultimately we put it to the kids - camp or drive to Wisconsin?  I'm so glad they unanimously chose camping; it was perfect.

 Campfire, pie-iron pizzas, s'mores, owls calling, clear skies...

 Stories by the fire...

 ...it was a perfect first camping trip of the year! Thank you cousins!!!