Myles Standish National Forest

[Just-in-time]

WooHooo! I'm so glad to have foung this forum. =)

I always wanted to take my daughter camping but was uneasy because it would be just the 2 of us. Well, this is the year (she's 12 BTW). We have NEVER done this before and we are excited. So...in August we will spend 3 nights in the curlew pond area of Myles Standish. I hope I picked a good spot. I have a waterfront spot so we can kayak without having to load it on the car and drive anywhere. We have bikes and we would rather walk a wooded path than a sidewalk anyday. I bought a tent, spent about $100. I got a big one so we have room...it's 10x18 (is that too big?). I bought a 36" heave duty grate to cook over the camp fire. Also an (what I think is great and will come in handy even when we aren't camping) air bed. That's it so far and we already have sleeping bags.

I really want us to enjoy this and I want to be prepared without packing up the kitchen sink. Any tips and tricks or advise would be greatly appreciated as I know NOTHING about camping at all. lol

[renodesertfox]

Re: Myles Standish National Forest

Howdy Just-In-Time! We too are happy that you found this site and since you're not planning on camping until August that will give you a little over 7 weeks to prepare. I'll be brief to allow other campateers to chime in and give you helpful hints, but I think first of all if you could set-up(pitch) your new tent in your backyard or somewhere close to home to get an idea and practice of setting up and taking down(striking) your tent. And I think you should seam-seal the tent(Wal-mart has several brands available) and spend one night in the tent with your daughter so you both will become more comfortable. Preferably in your backyard. That way you can go in the house anytime the need arises. Good luck! Remember that your first to six posts are moderated here at CF! Thanks for joining!

[Just-in-time]

Re: Myles Standish National Forest

Thank you Rednodesertfox. I guess I just don't want to spend a fortune on gear only to be putting it on Craigs list if we don't enjoy camping. I'd like to keep the purchases to a minimum while making sure we have everything we need for a good first experience. I look forward to reading a lot on this forum and what others do to make their camping trips fun. Oh and I worry about being bored once it gets dark but we aren't ready to turn in.