Taking Chances

By: Tessie

Last week’s weather forecast was awful… unseasonably cold and rainy. Our parents waited until after dinner on Tuesday night to decide whether we should risk going camping. They decided we were going to go for it, so we packed the car and headed out.

We arrived at our favorite lakeside campsite at 7:30 p.m. Thankfully, it was dry while Mom and Dad set up the tent and packed it with our things. They made some hot chocolate, and we settled inside the tent. They played Uno for a while before calling it a night.

It rained hard overnight for a couple of hours, but the rain fly did its job, and we stayed dry. I only got nervous once when it got windy, but the wind didn’t last long. It was chilly, so I mostly slept on Mom’s cot with her, and we kept each other warm.

The next morning, it was mostly clear, so after breakfast, we went paddleboarding around the lake. Mom and Dad spotted two bald eagles sitting together in a tree by the lake. Dad was disappointed that he didn’t bring the camera or binoculars.

After our paddle, it was still sunny, so we decided to go for a hike along the section of the Colorado Trail that is near the campground. In all the years we’ve been camping at Wellington, we’ve never done this hike, so it was fun for all of us. There were lots of Aspen trees along the way. Some leaves had already turned yellow and fallen, but most trees still had green leaves. We ended up hiking over six miles, and it only rained for about a minute.

After a snack at our campsite, we settled into the tent for a nap. Mom and Dad read for a while as it rained. It cleared up just in time for us to take a walk along the lake before dinner. We went to see the bald eagles again. They were in a different tree but still close to the lake.

Dad cooked some vegan sausages and mac' n cheese on the new camp stove he got for this occasion. After dinner, Mala and I went into the tent, but Dad started a fire and played cards with Mom outside until well after dark. It was a clear, starry night and much warmer in the tent than the night before, so I slept in my own bed. It didn’t rain at all that night.

Thursday morning, we went paddleboarding again and saw the bald eagles once more. One of them chased another bird across the lake, causing that bird to drop the fish it was holding. It was exciting to watch.

We went for another hike, this time a shorter outing within the campground to see the waterfall and climb on the big boulders along the back of the campground. We got back and packed up our things to head home. We were all glad that we took our chances. Others who had reserved campsites must have changed their minds because there weren’t many other people around, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves most of the time. We’re happy to be part of an adventurous family.

Sometimes you have to go for it even when things don’t look promising. You might get caught in the rain, or maybe you’ll have a great time! You’ll never know unless you take the chance.