Summer 2009 will be our fourth summer camping together. What began as a humble little jaunt to Kettle Moraine State Forest with a gigantic (not to mention leaky) eight man tent borrowed from Mike's parents, has become a well-equipped and very regular activity in the more temperate months of the year. We've added some great equipment (self-inflating mattress pads, titanium sporks, a tent that weighs less than a small vehicle), some wonderful friends (first one other couple, then two, then three, and occasionally more), and a whole bunch of dogs (this summer we'll be up to six dogs on a regular basis) to the mix. We've camped all over Wisconsin, ventured into Iowa, gotten into backpacking, and Mike and I are looking forward to a trip to the Black Hills (my birthplace) and Rockies this summer. We hike, canoe, kayak, play games, eat increasingly complex camp food, share home brew, and stare at the fire at least one weekend each month. Mike proposed during a 2007 trip to Peninsula State Park. 
Over the years, we've learned that advanced planning and a little research results in the best sites, away from the big RVs (what are you doing in the woods, anyway?), the pit toilets, and mosquito-infested bogs. So, just as winter starts to get really settled in, the planning begins: where should we camp this year? Who can come that weekend? Who wants to book the site?
As of yesterday, planning for the 2009 season is in full swing (thank you, Laura), and the table above proves it (thank you, Julie). Maybe we're a little on the over-achieving side, but when you live in a state that can (and often does) have snow on the ground October through May, looking forward to camping season helps to stave off seasonal affective disorder for at least another month. And by then, I'll have a notice in the mail containing six of the sweetest syllables on the planet: "REI Dividend."
Over the years, we've learned that advanced planning and a little research results in the best sites, away from the big RVs (what are you doing in the woods, anyway?), the pit toilets, and mosquito-infested bogs. So, just as winter starts to get really settled in, the planning begins: where should we camp this year? Who can come that weekend? Who wants to book the site?
As of yesterday, planning for the 2009 season is in full swing (thank you, Laura), and the table above proves it (thank you, Julie). Maybe we're a little on the over-achieving side, but when you live in a state that can (and often does) have snow on the ground October through May, looking forward to camping season helps to stave off seasonal affective disorder for at least another month. And by then, I'll have a notice in the mail containing six of the sweetest syllables on the planet: "REI Dividend."
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