Vegas and Zion Camping Trip

You survived your first camping trip! I am way behind on this post, since it's been weeks since we have returned from our trip and it still feels like I am trying to catch up.

I must say I was a bit nervous about going camping with a toddler. After staying in Las Vegas for 2 nights to see Jeromey's family, we drove for 2+ hours to visit Zion National Park in Utah, planning to stay at a campground for 4 nights with friends and their baby. The campground was actually one of the nicest I've ever been to, it was such a great facility, bathrooms, showers, a store that had just about everything you may need or have forgotten, and even a pool which we used every day! But I had no idea how you were going to deal with the whole napping/sleeping/eating situation, but you adapted just fine. Sure the usual routine was out the door, but it was ok and I guess that's part of being on vacation. You still napped, sometimes in your stroller, sometimes in the carseat if we were heading somewhere, and sometimes even in the baby backpack (although I must admit that was probably the least comfortable for you) and you did fuss a lot while in it ... if you were tired. Our friend's baby Kingston napped in his backpack all the time, but we all decided that his backpack was a lot more comfortable and we're now thinking of replacing yours for future hikes. Sleeping at night was great, you didn't fuss much and did your usual talk and sing, and eventually just fell asleep. You did figure out how to open the window that was right next to your pack n' play and your little head would peak out and look outside and say hello to us. It was fun! Our tent was so big that it fit your pack n' play in it along with our blow-up mattress.

Sure we didn't have all the luxuries of our home or a hotel, but I think we made the best of it and I would even say that we'd do it again. The only thing that I wouldn't repeat would be going camping when it's so hot, otherwise everything else was very enjoyable. Great friends, good times, and wonderful memories were made!

Instead of posting a bunch of pictures, I'll post just two of my favorites along with a link to a great slide show our friend Herbie put together that sums up the trip pretty well! We went on a total of 4 hikes, some short, and some long, all drastically different. The scenery was amazing. Zion is truly a magical place. There is definitely so much more to see and come back to, and I certainly hope that we will do that someday.

Zion National Park Montage

This is how far we made on our Angel's Landing hike, the hardest, longest, and the most amazing hike we attempted

Strolling down a path on our way back from the Narrows hike