yesterday (sunday) was my dad’s 70th birthday, so my brother, lina + i decided that to celebrate his big day we’d head out to the woods to do a little family camping. of course, everyone else + their mother decided that it would be the perfect weekend for camping as well. why, you ask? this little thing called “leaf season”. up here, in the north carolina mountains, the leaves are just beginning to hit their peak beauty. needless to say, the campground we chose to visit was paaaa-acked! but, it was also beautiful.
on friday afternoon, lina + i packed up our car with food, a tent, sleeping bags, blankets, and cozy clothes. we headed just northwest of asheville, about 45 minutes, to the fabulous little town called hot springs – more on hot springs another day. my parents had already beaten us to the campground and had pulled their rv into their site by the time we arrived, so we went to our space and scouted out the best spot for our tent. we were not within sight distance of my parents’ site, but it was an easy 2 minute walk we went over to say hi to them and invited them over to our site (which is where we all hung out the entire weekend actually). then, we got to work setting up camp. let the coziness commence!
the weekend consisted of pure, quality family time. and food. yummy camp food. of course we sat by the fire practically the whole time (thanks to my brother’s mad fire-making skills + lina’s mad maintaining-the-fire skills). i read some + did a little walking. i took lots and lots of photos. and we all chatted and generally just spent time together. we were totally off the grid, so the only thing we focused on was each other. sadly, my brother had to travel back + forth to asheville a few times, but he slept in his tent at our campsite as well.
the whole weekend was just amazing. something that i will not soon forget, and will cherish in my heart for the rest of my life i am sure. it was an extremely special weekend for me – just the opportunity to be in the middle of nature, outside the whole entire weekend, living simply, being wild, and focusing on the things that are really important. the things that are the most important to me in my life.
day one:
all packed up!
entering into hot springs campground. woo hoo!
a few campsites were right on the river (lucky dogs). however, ours ended up being just across from it, and it was pretty much perfect.
scouting out the best spot for the tent.
our tent!! soooo cozy + perfect – a birthday present to me from my love last year.
a celebratory pbr (beer) ‘cuts we got the tent all set up!
the fire is lit! and it stayed lit literally the entire weekend. soon awesome.
darkness fell, and it was time to make some traditional campfire food – both swedish + american, of course. here, lina is baking bread on a stick over the fire. i devoured some s’mores.
dad warmed his hands by the fire for hours. clearly something silly was happening at this point too.
the family is all gathered. xoxo
day two:
laying in my tent, early in the morning. just gazing the trees + listening to the silence. so peaceful.
ready for the day!
mornin’!
first things first: hot camp coffee from a percolator. (that’s my brother!)
the morning fire is all lit.
a little morning dog walking. these two are just the cutest.
breakfast preparations are underway. can’t wait!
passing time by doing a little reading after a little walk into town. (those photos coming up tomorrow!)
the sun is setting…
evening arrives again. this one will be a special one.
happy birthday to my dad!
my last little peek out from the tent as i tucked myself in.
when i woke in the morning and unzipped my tent, this is what i saw. sooooo cozy.
i climbed out of my tent early and walked over to the river for a few moments of solitude. amazing.
camp liz!
more camp coffee to get the morning started!
brother-sister breakfast cooking team. eggs + bacon… coming up!
our cozy home for the weekend.
family time ♥
hope you had a good weekend, too, dear friends. check back over the next few days and i’ll share with you some photos of hot springs, the french broad river, + a little walking on the appalachian trail!
I miss camping so much. It’s been years
It actualky had been way too long for me too. Years, i believe. I hope you get a chance soon!
Aww looks fab!! Great baking efforts ladies!
Thanks, Holly! Lina is actually quite a good baker. I… am not. Hehe. 🙂 xx
You people are equipped! So jealous right now 🙂
Haha!! My brother is such a wilderness man. As long as he is around, all is good! 🙂