It’s inevitable.I figured that if you’re bringing a four-year-old camping, you should make the experience as low-impact as possible. It turns out that I over-thought things by a factor of 10.
Ben took to the woods and the camping lifestyle at once. We arrived at our campsite at the Fahenstock State Park Campground in New York at around 1 pm and immediately began to set up camp. Benjamin “helped” me get the tent poles ready by popping them back out of joint a few times after I had them assembled, but of course I commended his efforts and expressed gratitude for the assistance.
Then I set him up in a chair and plied him with trail mix while I set the tent up as quickly as I could. We had brought my Kelty Gunnison 3 three-person tent, one of those rare tents that can comfortably accommodate the number of people it says (most “three-person” tents are ideal for two adults, e.g.).
