My wife and I camped last weekend with our three young children at Hanging Rock State Park. Three days and two nights in the woods took a heroic packing effort by my beloved. Pulling away from the house in our minivan loaded with supplies, she gave me a half-smile: “I wonder what we forgot.”
Necessity is the mother of invention, and half the fun of camping is finding ways to make do. When you forget a hammer for the tent pegs, you use a rock. When the propane on the stove doesn’t work, you cook over the campfire.
But some things are essential — like coffee — especially after a night with three kids tossing and turning like wiggly puppies in your tent.
The Hanging Rock General Store is located only a half-mile from the park entrance. A smiling cashier had a fresh pot ready to go and sold me a bag of ground beans. I returned to the campsite like a conquering hero to my bleary-eyed bride.
Duly caffeinated, I thought we’d trek up to the famous overlook that gives the park its name. Change in plans — the kids wanted to swim! We hiked to a waterfall below the mountain with pools of water so cold that your bare feet burned. That will wake anyone up! My older sons eventually explored the rocks downstream while my daughter collected leaves into a colorful pile. She called it a “fruit salad.”
Hiking back, we sang “This Land is Your Land” to pass the time and were almost to the minivan when I reached into my pocket for my keys and … felt nothing! I hustled back to the falls, muttering a decidedly different tune. When I arrived, a child chirped, “Here you go!” She held my keys triumphantly in the air.
After that adventure, the granola bars and apples we’d packed were not going to cut it. We drove into the next town and the Danbury General Store, which boasted a cheeseburger daily special. The proprietors had replaced the gas pumps with picnic tables, and we enjoyed our food with a view of the blue sky and green hills. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better burger, especially not for $3.99. As we finished, the cook came out with little paper bags filled with candy for the kids. Talk about a hero!
I’m grateful for so-called everyday heroes, like firefighters and police officers, who put their lives at risk to serve and protect. Doctors, nurses and EMT workers save lives, while teachers, social workers and many others assist people in life-giving ways. I just took my family on a little trip.
Yet, camping provided the opportunity to get out of my usual element. Not everything went according to plan, but the unforeseen challenges also gave rise to helping hands and smiling faces. I’m not naïve about the hardship and cruelty in the world. But I’m grateful for the kindness of strangers.
When we returned to our campsite, my wife took a well-deserved nap in the tent. Our kids talked tough about not being tired, but one by one, they eventually laid down. I heated water on the fire for another cup of coffee and watched the leaves dance in the gentle breeze and dappled light. I couldn’t have planned it any better.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church. His newly-published book is a collection of his columns for the Chatham News + Record titled “Hope Matters: Churchless Sermons.”