Brown Bear Camp Out 2004

Everyone had a great time on this year's Brown Bear Camp Out. The weekend started with a spaghetti feed on Friday night. The children especially enjoyed roasting marshmallows for their S'mores. 

Saturday morning, everyone met down at the dock to start our Tide Walk. Craig & Kelly brought their boat. The kids loved exploring the cabin and honking the horn. We headed along the sandy beach toward the exposed spit at low tide . The discovery of the sand dollar bed was quite a hit. Some families remained there and never continued on. The children who did continue were not disappointed, though. They were full of excitement as they discovered crabs, clams, various shells and other sea life left on the shore. At the tip of the spit the children laughed as the horse clams and gooey ducks spat water into the air like  miniature geysers.

Exhausted, many families headed back to their campsites for lunch and a nap. Although, it seemed that the parents wanted the nap more than the children. After a rest, almost everyone chose to swim at the beach instead of taking the hiking trail. The weather was hot this year and the sandy beach looked inviting.

Throughout the weekend, the children took turns helping Mr. Craig check his crab pots. By Saturday evening, they had caught four Red Rock Crabs. Mr. Craig stated that he felt "like a 3rd-grader that had just gotten an A on his math test." Almost everyone met at the host site for hot dogs, hamburgers and other goodies for dinner. But the crab was a nice surprise.

On Sunday, slowly people ate their breakfasts and packed up to go. One by one, families said their good-byes and headed home. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Already, some children are counting down the days to next year's Brown Bear Camp Out.