Family Adventures: Camping at Hawn State Park | Brittany Lynn Imagery
Because of our recent family camping trip and its success, I couldn't wait to get back on the road and enjoy another awesome weekend in nature with my favorite people! This time, we headed down Hwy 55 to Ste. Genevieve to Hawn State Park which is known for its thick pine forests and stunning backpacking
trails along Pickle Creek.
I wish this was the start of a post about another amazing family camping trip where everything fell into place and we had an endless amount of fun and we are all back home, exhausted from play...
While yes, we are home and tired, it is not from all of the fun! We did have a blast and returned with countless new memories that I will cherish but this trip went a little differently than our first one. On a positive note, this park is absolutely dazzling! The smell of the pines, especially in the morning, was intoxicating and it was incredibly peaceful and serene. The campground was spectacular and many of the campsites have direct trail access to the creek which is a huge plus for us so we will be returning very soon!
As we pulled up to the campground, the camp host showed us our spot and got us all checked in and I have to note that this is probably the most helpful and friendly host I have ever met. We excitedly popped up the camper and as I was getting the dogs some water and making sure Bella was entertained enough for us to set up camp, my husband and I realized that we forgot one of the most essential tools of camping with a pop up: the keys.
Thankfully, my husband is a smart and resourceful man and thought to bring his tools. No keys, no problem, we will just remove the lock and when it's time to leave, we will re-install them. Inconvenient, yes, but not enough to ruin the trip.
We successfully set up camp and enjoyed some lunch at the picnic table while we planned out the rest of our day. Unlike our trip to Meramec, we didn't have to wait for my Farmer's Market to close because I skipped it altogether to make sure we got to leave in time to enjoy the day at the park. We decided to check out the rest of the campground to see what amenities there were and stumbled upon a trail at site 18 that lead straight to the water. Jackpot! Ryan, Bella, myself, and the dogs spent the next few hours at the creek which was surrounded by towering pines and oak trees and magnificent, sky-scraping sandstone bluffs.
Once we drained our energy at the creek, we headed back to the campsite for some dinner and relaxation. Bella played happily in the dirt with her dump truck that Daddy gifted her the week before and I laid back in the hammock and drank a wine cooler while Ryan got the fire started. When the sun began to set, the temps went down pretty quickly and I went inside to grab my hoodie and a jacket for Bella. I first attempted to turn on the light above the sink with no luck and was already dreading the fact that I had to tell Ryan we already had a light burn out when I tried the next light and noticed that it, too, wouldn't turn on. Oh good, the lights aren't working. Since returning home, we have learned that there is a mechanism under the sink that is activated when the sink is folded into active position that triggers the lights' electric and that it is possible that it malfunctioned or needs to be replaced - an easy fix for my husband who works on trailers for a living. In that moment, though, it was not pleasant.
In the past, as tent campers, going without decent lighting was expected but now that we spent a good chunk of our savings on this pop up, we didn't
anticipate having to return to dim-lighting by candle and flashlight, especially with a toddler who has just conveniently developed a fear of the dark in the last hour of our discovery.
Luckily, we had an obscene amount of LEDs that Ryan insisted on bringing so fine, no lights, no problem.
That night, we treated Bella to her own showing of Lilo and Stitch on a TV and DVD player that we decided last-minute to bring while we enjoyed some quality time at the dinette.
The following morning, Bella and I woke up early and went outside to cuddle in the hammock and enjoy some bird watching. It was my birthday so Bella was especially excited which was adorable because as an adult, my birthday is just another day to me but through her, it's a whole event. She sang me Happy Birthday countless times and we had a lot of fun talking and giggling in the hammock while she enjoyed her morning milk and I had my morning coffee.
The rest of the day was spent hiking Pickle Creek trail and stopping off to swim and play as we desired. Our hike was absolutely beautiful with views of the creek, large bluffs that seemed to go on for miles, and dense pine forest. I spent much of my time laying back in the water and taking in the views and it was spectacular!
That night, after taking our showers and returning to camp for dinner, we enjoyed some chicken fajitas and family time around the fire before going to bed. In the middle of the night, Bella kept waking up, thrashing and screaming about needing a different sandbox. It started at 12:59am (I looked at the clock!) and kept on until around 4:00am when I finally decided to flip her sheets to see if maybe she just had sand in her bed which worked for the next three hours, thankfully!
In the morning, Bella and I woke up to cuddle in the hammock again and decided that we wanted to explore White Oaks trail before leaving. Once Ryan was up for the day, we devoured some breakfast and headed to the trailhead. Though the trail was incredibly stunning, we called it quits after about an hour because everyone was exhausted and ready to go home.
We returned to camp and decided to relax a little before packing up. It was then that we noticed a few tiny ticks on Bella. As we removed them, we kept finding more and more so we decided to check ourselves. As I lifted my pant legs to check my ankles, a group of about twenty of these microscopic ticks fell onto my skin from my sock and scattered every direction. We removed all of the ticks we could find on ourselves, packed up, and headed home, only to find more ticks on ourselves and the dogs.
Needless to say, this trip wasn't exactly the best one, but it did leave us with some great memories and funny stories and I'm looking forward to our next trip as well as returning to Hawn State Park!
