5 Must Haves for Camping

We recently went on a massive camping trip that included hiking on the Appalachian Trail and climbing a mountain. This was the first camping trip I have been on since I was 6-years old and it has left me with plenty of tips and must-haves to share with you. Since it was the hubs and my first time camping in quite a while, we brought plenty of goods- some of it we used and swear by and some of it will not be packed in our camping bag again. These 5 must haves for camping are all the little things I would not venture on any camping trip without.

1. An Infinity Scarf

You may laugh at this and think I am such a city girl gone glamping, but it is for waaayyy more than looks. My infinity scarf was the most used and most appreciated thing I brought... Well, other than food and a tent. The scarf will keep your neck warm and ward off any unwanted bug bites on that super sensitive area. I also used mine as a eye mask to keep the early morning sun out, as extra umph to my camping pillow, a hood when things got wet, a napkin when hands got dirty, and a pot holder. Yes, the infinity scarf turned out to be the best portable oven mitten ever!

My best advice would be to bring an infinity scarf that is made out of a gauze-like material and one that you do not mind loosing to the elements.

2. Flip Flops

No, you will not be wearing these whilst hiking, but yes, you will be wearing them almost everywhere else. Sure, hiking boots or sneakers are great when you are roughing the elements, but no one wants to worry about untying and retying them every time you go into or come out of the tent. And don't even think about wearing those muddy sneakers inside your camping abode. Instead, pack a pair of sandals that you can wear around the campsite and easily put on or kick off.

3. Cotton Balls

We like to start a fire the simple way, some tinder and that scratchy spark-maker thing wisely called a "fire starter." Sometimes however, nature does not make things so easy or dry. Cotton balls make the easiest tinder and the best cheater method for starting your fire. Besides, most girls have them in their toiletries bag anyway :)

4. Baby Wipes

Most camp sites do not have showers or, they are the kind you would prefer not to use (another reason to bring flip flops). Sure, you could purchase and lug one of those portable showers everywhere with you, or, you could just purchase a pack of pretty scented baby wipes. No, it is not a five-star bath house, but it will do the trick after a long day of hiking. Baby wipes are my best secret to staying clean and smelling good the whole camping trip long!

If you are really wanting to glam it up, some dry shampoo, a good deodorant, and facial cleansing wipes are pretty great to have as well!

5. A Good Attitude

Bear Grylls says that one of the most important parts of being in nature is your attitude. Remember, you are in the elements and things might not always go according to plan. There will be bugs and some nights, there will be lots of rain and little food. My best advice would be to get over these trip snags as quickly as possible and remember why you are out there in the first place.

All of the things listed above along with a tent, good sleeping bag, food that does not need to be heated, water, snacks, and hair ties will make a camping trip easier, but nothing will make or break a trip like the attitude going in and coming out of it. Camping is super fun, just go with the flow, relax, stay positive, and you will be sure to love it!!

P.S. A handy tip would be to know the wildlife in the area... We knew of bears but had no idea there would be rattlesnakes- these are the little, vital things to know :)

Oh, and one more thing... I am so excited about tomorrow's post talking all about our trip on the Appalachian Trail. There will be lots of pictures too!!!

My First runDisney Experience: Expedition Everest

Let's talk the Expedition Everest 5k Obstacle Course Scavenger Hunt. First off, what a name. Second, it was fantastic! Everything started Friday, the day before the event, when you went to pick-up all your goodie bags and race gear. This is when we got our awesome shirts, our race bibs, and some other fun stuff in the race bag.

Everything had to be picked up from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and man was that place busy! Some advice to anyone who is planning on doing their first runDisney event would be to pick up their goods the day prior to the race. We had to go both Friday and Saturday because the person at the pick-up counter did not give the hubs his license back. Between the massive cheering event (which I think they plan on runDisney event weekends) and the massive morning races going on, the place was a mad house.

Fast forward to that evening and it was super fun. Again, everything was more crowded than I have ever seen Disney so getting into restaurants without a 40-minute wait was near impossible, but we were able to get a table pretty quick at Splitsville and have some yummy sushi a few hours before the run. runDisney recommended that we get to the Animal Kingdom by 8:30- about 2-hours before the race. 

We were able to get to the parking lot by about 8:15 and decided to stay in the car for a bit since there was a legitimate cold front going through and it was raining as well. Once we got into the run area everything was laid out super easy. Dropped off the bag, found our corral, then hit the pre-race party without any hold backs. 

The pre-race part was super fun with a massive aerobic dance workout lead by the nicest evil dance master ever. Seriously, it was a workout... but a fun one! We stayed at the front dance party area for a while, took some pictures at the photo-op areas, then headed to our "E" corral about an hour before the race started. The group dancing, also known as my favorite part, continued there! 

Then, they started the races. Each corral was set to depart 6-minutes after the previous one. We were in corral "E" so we did not start the race until a little after 11:00 pm. It was still raining and still quite cold, but that ended up being the best thing ever with all the running and dancing and obstacle coursing. 

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First up on the obstacle course was the hay bales where some of our part got separated. Next, we ran through the park and got to see the most incredible view of Everest ever. Really, it looked like this. Of course, there were also characters throughout the run area and places to take pictures, but we did not do any of that for reasons I still do not understand. 

The next obstacle was the tires, followed by the optional army crawl area. I did both and managed to stay up-right in the tires, even after a kind lady completely fell on me. Simple victories :) The hubs and I also met up during the run and were able to take a pretty awesome picture next to timed fire balls. It was pretty great, but I cannot find the picture anywhere on the runDisney photo section. Too bad. 

After the army crawl, there was a short bit left, then the finish line where they handed out Cliff bars and bananas. Then came the scavenger hunt! This was the hardest. scavenger hunt. ever. Really. We had five clues, total, and needed help on four of them. But, once we answered our questions we ran across the finish one more time, got our finisher medals (which are the coolest things ever... working compasses!), and hit the post race party. 

The party had singing and dancing and light beer and was held in Dinoland USA. It was pretty fun! We were able to do some more dancing, look at race products, ride Dinosaur, and go home. Overall, the race was incredible and just makes me want to do another runDisney event as soon as possible! Look out Wine and Dine 2015, I'm coming for you!