And I thought I was some sort of camping stud.

My sister and Laura went "kayak camping" over the holiday weekend with their neighbors who have two young children. They drove to a spot near Olympic National Forest where they rented a kayak and a canoe, loaded them with a few essentials, and then paddled five miles to a remote island only reachable by boat. There, they pitched their tents and gathered firewood to camp for three days, at the end of which they kayaked back the five miles and drove home.

They made our drive-up, roadside camping experience where we had enough room to bring bags of kiddie books and wine, and were close enough to drive to the San Clemente WalMart to get a new french press, look like child's play. Humph.

On the other hand, as was the case when we were growing up and Katie was amazing at many things, I enjoy being in awe of her. Kayak camping? Who knew there was such a thing, and that you could do it on a whim with a four year old and a seven year old?