Meet the Camping Critterz!
We’re a camping family with a combined 63 years of camping experience. Both adults were in scouts and went on all different kinds of camping adventures. We’ve done it all, backpacking, canoe and portage camping, tent camping, pop-up trailer camping, we’ve even spent the night in a fish house camper on the ice!
Momma Critter – Molly Foss:
One day my mom bought a Coleman tent at K-mart for $99 and I’ve been camping ever since. I was in 4th grade and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It probably feels one step closer to my life-long dream of being Robin Hood and living in a tree fort. I love helping pick out the campsite, figuring out where the tent would go, and starting the campfire.
My family also got a MN State Park passport. It’s a fun way to keep track of your travels to the MN state parks. Back then you got patches for visiting different state parks and eventually a free night of camping! We’re now doing it as a family. We’ve made it up to 10 different State Parks and are now excited to bring Tiny Critter with us and camp as a family!
I got a swiss army knife for my 13th birthday and I still have it. I’ve since upgraded to my trusty Gerber Multi-tool, but that little red knife served me well, even after I lost the toothpick.
I went camping with my girl scout troop, on various church trips and with my family on cross country road trips.
I’ve camped the most on the north shore of Lake Superior, but I’ve also camped in Colorado, the Black Hills, Supai AZ, Assateague Island MD, Moorehead NC. I’ve backpacked into Jay Cooke state park, C.R. Magney State park and Havasupai AZ.
One misguided night the adult Critterz attempted to sleep in our biggest sleeping bag in the snow when it was 10°. We didn’t last the whole night, but we came in because it wasn’t comfortable, not because we were cold.
My favorite part about camping is the smell of the pine trees on the north shore of Lake Superior and solving problems with only the things you brought with you. Now with Tiny Critter my favorite things are teaching him how to throw rocks into lakes and roast S’mores.
Daddy Critter – Cole Foss:
I’ve always enjoyed camping. And by camping, I mean any and all. Car camping, backpacking, pop-ups, RVs, cabins, and even ice houses. Camping is just one of those hobbies where a person gets to go to a place where the goal is to enjoy the time. It can be as relaxed or extreme as you want to make it. For me, it’s time where I can focus on what’s in front of me. I’m the type that always has projects, or something to do that is “next”. When I’m camping though, I have an easier time decompressing and just taking it all in. But somehow, even when camping, I’m often the one that wants to get moving, see it all, and doesn’t want to truly slow down.
I was a scout, from Tiger Cub to Eagle Scout. I’ve done the day camps, the weekend trips, and the high-adventure, week-long outings. While most of my camping experience is in the Midwest, I’ve gotten out a bit further a couple times and need to eventually do more. However, it’s hard to beat Minnesota/Northern Wisconsin camping.
I’ve seen camping gear (especially backpacking gear) go from what I thought was really good (as compared to my uncles’ gear, also Eagle Scouts) to what I see as fantastic now. The gear I used the first time going to the boundary waters is nothing like the gear I have for camping today. The best part of the gear upgrades are, I get to play with new toys and see how they can make camping easier/more enjoyable.
And now, with Tiny Critter in the mix, I have a renewed excitement for places I’ve gone. To share new experiences with him and watch him run through the woods with what seems like boundless energy is just fantastic.
Tiny Critter:
Tiny critter has been camping since he was 9 months old. His first night in the tent he decided to pop his first tooth, and that was quite the ordeal. We were convinced he woke up the entire campground, and I’m pretty sure parts of the tent are still spattered with grape-flavored liquid ibuprofen. Spoiler, we made it through and still had a great weekend (albeit with a bit less sleep than intended).
The next camping attempt proved to be a little cold and we weren’t the best prepared so he wore socks for gloves and every one was a happy camper. He’s camped in a pop-up trailer with Grandma and Grandpa and spend the night with Daddy and his Uncle in a fish house out on the ice and loved every second of it.
He’ll make tents out of any household object and loves playing with his pretend campfire set and roasting fake S’mores. He also loves making real S’mores and will eat as many as he can.
Thanks for joining the Critter Crew!
Happy Camping!