Kings Canyon, CA

I wouldn't really say I am the camping type. Once when I was a child my parents wanted to take us camping so we packed up our car, headed to our spot, made some dinner, slept in the car, probably made some breakfast... maybe lunch too, and headed home. We did that once in my childhood, called it camping, and the rest is history. So when I married a man whose family tradition of all traditions was camping in bear country for a whole week I was in for a wild ride.
The Barricks history takes them to Kings Canyon National Park for a week of family and friend camping. They haven't done it in a while and Daniel really wanted to bring the tradition back and introduce one of his all time favorite places to me. So when we planned this road trip it was definitely going to be a stop. We stayed at Kings Canyon from a Saturday to a Thursday-so I didn't have to quite last a whole week.
Our first night there was really beautiful It was peaceful and we got ourselves all set up.
We had a peaceful Sunday morning in camp and the Barrick parents arrived with more supplies for the real camping experience. We got quite a bit set up before the rain came pouring down. With just a few more poles to attach the heavens opened and we were soaked. We stayed in tents the rest of the night eating dinner and playing games.
Monday was also a rainy day with a lightning and thunder storm that rolled down the canyon. We decided to go to Boydens Cavern and do the guided tour through it. I love that kind of thing so we had a great time.
Tuesday we went on a hike to Zumwalt Meadows which was just a gorgeous hike that was not too hard. We also went down to the river-a favorite tradition/activity. It was pretty cold and kind of dirty from the storm so I was not brave enough to get all the way in. We sat on the banks and read, watched swimmers, and ate snacks. At one point Daniel got a wide eyed look on his face and said "Mallory, do not turn around." Of course I went into survival mode thinking a bear was right behind me in the attack position so I slowly got up and turned around as I walked behind Daniel. It wasn't a bear, but it was my least favorite animal, a rattlesnake slithering through the bushes I got as far away as I could while everyone else on the beach stormed close with cameras. Yikes, I hate snakes.
Wednesday was just the perfect camping day, the weather was perfect. We got up, had breakfast, hung around camp and read, had a bike ride to the general store for a ice cream treat, had lunch, went to the river, swam, jumped off the big rock, and played cards with friends. It was actually a lot of fun and although it was freezing at first it was fun to jump off the rock and swim around.
So camping, I might not choose it on my own, but it is definitely fun to do with someone you love and someone that loves it. It is a great memory and it was a great time.