Cold Camping Survival: Linville, NC

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(October 2015 camping trip)

Carefully, I researched an area of North Carolina to visit. Then I narrowed down the campground.

When I camp, there has to be hot showers and flush toilets. No exceptions. Which left me with The Linville Falls Trailer Lodge and Campground. The only downside of this campground, according to Trip Advisor, seemed to be that the primitive tent sites, our typical preference, were down a steep hill from the bathrooms. I did not envision much joy in the evenings when walking my 6 year old up steep hills to the bathroom.

We decided to go with a site that had water and electric. We booked it. A month in advance.

Then the weekend began to approach. At the same time, a cold front began to approach. They were clearly going to collide. And if the weather forecast was accurate, we would be camping in below freezing weather on our first night there, but then it would warm up a bit more each day.

This frantic mommy took to google and Facebook. Turns out, that you can run a ceramic space heater in a tent IF you have a site with electric, and thanks to the steep hill situation for the primitive tent sites, we would have electric this trip! We decided to be wild and crazy and go for it, after all, the best memories usually stem from wild and crazy.

The campground was beautiful, as was the drive through the mountains to get there. We were given a choice between two sites and we selected the first one. It was only 4 sites away from the bathrooms and it had a lovely private pathway to the field across the road for the kids to play. It was also sunny for the majority of the day, which was very important.

We quickly got our tent and screen tent set up and then we began working on a fire. My kids are getting pretty good at starting a fire.

The kids spent a lot of time whittling on this trip. Everyone had a great time with Daddy’s pocket knives.

Eventually I began to explore the campground. The bathrooms were the best ones I have experienced camping. There were hot, private showers. A space heater was located near the sinks and there was even a little make up area by a mirror. Yes, make up and blow dryers are acceptable camping equipment.

Soon, the cold settled in and we began to break out the warm winter coats.

Smores are a nightly dessert when camping, so I set up my Type A smores-gous board. (pun intended)

Finally we retired to our tents, sleeping with snow pants and winter coats by our sides for the morning.

In the morning, no one was eager to leave their warm sleeping bag. We huddled a bit by the heater. I can’t tell you what a brilliant idea the space heater was. MAJOR points for this Mom!

Eventually, breakfast had to be made. Do not be deceived by my smile. This was NOT the most fun I have had camping. It was cold. COLD I tell ya. But I had electric and I had my hot water kettle, so I had tea. Happy Mommy.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes are always a hit.

We spent our days hiking and enjoying the fall colors, which I will post in the next few days. Our late afternoons and evenings were spent at our site. Luckily, none of the evenings ever dipped below freezing again. WHEW!

Our camping neighbors were all very friendly and many were older so they absolutely loved the “life” our kids brought to the campground. I sat on a bench with one woman and talked for awhile. She was sitting at the playground just to listen to my kids laughing and playing. Hers were grown and she missed camping with them.

It was a beautiful reminder for this mom. The moments are fleeting and the babies grow fast. So thankful that we braved the cold weather camping.

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Mary Wilson

Mary is a writer and mother to four kids ranging from elementary to high school.

She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.

She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

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