Camping in December?

Ed and I decided to go camping the weekend before Christmas! It wasn't the smartest idea we have ever had, but we did have the good sense to drag my brother along! For those of you that don't know Blake, he is about as outdoorsy as one can get. He is an Eagle scout, he hunts and fishes on a regular basis, and practically lives in Carhartts. He definitely made the trip better with all of his camping experience with the boy scouts.

Ed and Blake had both been camping before, but our adventure on Cumberland Island was my first time. The trip taught me some valuable lessons about camping in the winter.

1. Toe warmers are amazing..they work 10 times better than hand warmers!
2. When it's in the 30s at night, you can never have too many layers. I strongly suggest CuddleDuds!
3. There is such a thing as comfortable hiking boots, but you shouldn't wear them 3 days in a  row!
4. Some camping gear may be overrated, but a warm sleeping bag is not one of them!
5. Unless you want to wake up every 2 hours, invest in a comfortable pad to go under your sleeping bag.
6. Anything tastes good hot ...even summer sausage heated in the fire.
7. You can completely burn the outside of a gigantic marshmellow and the inside will still be cold, but it's still delicious!
8. Rock and rye tastes horrible, but really helps to get the campfire going.
9. Wild horses on Cumberland Island will poop anywhere...don't take a step without looking!
10. After 2 and a half days of camping, a hot shower feels really good.

Maybe next time we'll go camping in the summer...actually spring sounds like the perfect time of year!