This past weekend, our family went camping at Deep Creek Lake with my dad and step-mom. I’ve visited the area a number of times over the last 10 years and I always love being there. The rolling hills, lake houses, mountain wildflowers, unique tourist spots, and the overall lake atmosphere is phenomenal. Every time we go camping at Deep Creek Lake, I wish I could live there.
Related posts: Day in the life with my 21-month-old toddler, Oatmeal Biscuits Recipe, Mason Jar Virgin Mojito, Blueberry Picking, and Friday Favorites
Friday
We arrived in Accident by midday Friday and stopped at the Rolling Pin Bakery to get some fresh donuts, molasses cookies, and banana nut bread. Then, we went to the Deep Creek Lavender Farm for the first time and it’s one of my new favorite spots. I loved it so much that I went twice over the weekend! Peak bloom had just passed (June 20 – July 20) but the flowers were pretty and smelled delightful. Henry got to feed the chickens and we spent most of our time at the farm running between the 3 different chicken pens.
At the gift shop, I bought a few soaps, locally handcrafted peach lavender lemonade, and some fresh lavender shortbread cookies. The lemonade was yummy and refreshing but the cookies that blew my mind. As soon as we tasted the cookies, we regretted not having bought some of the shortbread mix.
Our last stop before checking into the campground was the Christmas Chalet to look at the countless ornaments, decorated trees, Christmas decor, and candles. I bought a wooden ornament and a Deep Creek Lake vinyl sticker.
It took us an hour and a half to set up our campsite while managing an energetic toddler. He’s an extremely active kid and loves to explore everything. Our site was up against the woods and had a rocky bed among the trees – perfect for a rock-loving toddler. Henry doesn’t understand the concept of staying within a boundary area yet so it was rough when he wanted to go off by himself.
Once we were set up, we went to the state park beach for a swim. The water is very rocky all except for the farthest left section of the beach. Henry started shivering as soon as he entered the water, even though it was a pleasant temperature. He desperately wanted to climb the rock wall and eventually, we had to carry him screaming to the car because he was cold and only wanted to climb on the slippery rocks.
To calm all our nerves, we drove to Lakeside Creamery for a couple of rich milkshakes – peanut butter for Brady and Raspberry for me! Henry enjoyed a healthy portion of both, hah. Dad and Darlene arrived at the campground and we had campfire cooked hotdogs, Bush’s baked beans, and watermelon for dinner. I have to say that food tastes better when you’re camping. I guess there’s something in outdoor air that changes the whole experience.
While I was cleaning up from dinner, I noticed the campers next to us had gotten their car stuck in the ditch. They couldn’t push it out so someone else was trying to use their truck to pull them out and my dad went to help as well. Then, Brady helped with the final push and when the car was free, Henry and I clapped from our seat by the campfire.
Henry fell asleep in my arms by the campfire around 9:30 but in the middle of the night, he woke up screaming. It was confusing to see him in a panic because it never happens at home. After a few minutes of talking to him, trying to soothe him, and asking him what he needed, we finally figured out that he had no idea where he was and started asking to go home. It took a while to fall back asleep but got woken up a couple of hours later by coyotes just outside our tent howling at each other.
Saturday
We got up at 7:30, had breakfast, and took a 20-minute drive to Swallow Falls State Park. There is a per person entrance fee, and the warm days bring out crowds. always very crowded. The river banks are packed with people hanging out in the water and the falls. The hiking loop to see the four different falls is only a mile and Henry walked most of the trail himself. He had fun climbing around and he really wanted to run straight into the water whenever we were nearby.
I love the environment of Swallow Falls. It’s damp, mossy, has lots of interesting rock formations, and the river views are beautiful. The 3 of us skipped seeing Toliver Falls since the little beach by the waterfall would have been too tempting for Henry. We indulged in some Lakeside Creamery from the food truck to cool off before heading back for lunch.
This post is part of the “Maryland’s Top Scenic Hikes” series on this blog. See the other hikes here.
We got back to camp, had a quick haystack lunch, and then I spent an hour hanging out with Henry in the hammock trying to convince him to take a nap. He didn’t fall asleep so we went to the lavender farm and he slept in the car the whole time we were gone. For dinner, we made fire-baked potatoes, onions, peaches, corn, and zucchini and it tasted like it was full of camping magic. We ate so much good food that I realized that this is the first time I’ve ever been camping without s’mores/roasted marshmallows!
Mom-shaming story
It was around dinnertime that he started to show signs of what I’ll call “being away from home syndrome”. He gets more clingy, gets extremely upset if a parent walks away (ie. Goes to the bathroom), and is insistent on doing what he wants. It was during a mini-meltdown session that a middle-aged guy with boundary issues decided to try and ruin my weekend.
I was standing at the edge of the driveway when he came down and stood smiling with his hands clasped in front of him. He said “I know I’m going to make you feel bad, and I’ve been there, but if there’s anything you can do to keep your kid from crying, even if you have to get in your car and leave the campground, please do it. You kept us up for over 2 hours last night with all this screaming. You bothered everyone in this campground.”
I did inform him that Henry had only cried for 5-10 minutes to which he responded “well it felt like 2 hours”. My dad mentioned that there was a different baby in another campsite that had been crying and the man just shrugged it off. He spouted a few more rude things, but at this point, I turned and walked away.
I was in shock. Not that someone had been bothered by the crying, but I couldn’t believe he felt like it was appropriate to hate on my kid for not having adult coping skills during a panic attack or that he thought it was appropriate to try and make me feel like a terrible parent. I know what it’s like to listen to someone else’s kid cry. It’s frustrating. However, I don’t believe it’s appropriate to make parents feel bad for something they can’t control especially when he admitted that he was there to make me feel bad.
The kicker is that this guy is the one whose car was stuck in the ditch the night before.
Every time we’ve been camping at Deep Creek Lake, we’ve been surrounded by families including many with crying babies. It’s just the way it is. I tried to keep myself from crying because I didn’t want to let his words ruin what had been a nice family weekend. It did end up casting a shadow over the rest of the evening for me though.
So for anyone who finds themselves frustrated by a crying baby (or toddler) in public, know that the parent(s) are already frazzled, stressed, and embarrassed. They don’t need you to make them feel worse when they’re already doing everything they can.
Sunday
I don’t know if it was the reason Henry had a better night, but on Saturday night, we slept with a dim light on in the corner of the tent so that if Henry did wake up, he would at least be able to see his surroundings. He stirred a few times, but we had a much better night.
On Sunday morning, we had a leftovers breakfast, packed up camp, walked by the lake, had one last indulgence of Lakeside Creamery, and played a round of mini-golf at Funland before heading home. I was hoping to ride the mountain coaster at Wisp Resort but we wanted to get home with enough time to unpack and unwind before starting the week and Henry was so ready for a nap.
Extra Thoughts on Camping at Deep Creek Lake
The whole Deep Creek Lake area was busier than normal which I assume is related to the pandemic. As far as social distancing goes, while camping at Deep Creek Lake, the only place within the campground that you really come in contact with others is in the bathroom.
The bathrooms were never crowded and though masks were required, I honestly felt like there was only a 50% compliance with mask-wearing. For an extra level of precaution, I brushed my teeth at the campsite and made sure to sanitize my hands at the campsite after being in the bathroom.
We didn’t take many toys for Henry knowing that sticks, rocks, and exploring were going to keep him busy. We did bring a few small cars, a few books, and his favorite crayons and notebook for the drive and whenever we needed a break from running around. Henry loved going for walks around our little loop and pointing at the numbers and the “person and dog” on the campsite signposts. He learned to point out mushrooms, toads, ferns, and had so much fun dancing on a large flat mossy rock by our campsite.
This weekend proved just how independent Henry wants to be, how capable he is at so many things, and how much work an adventurous toddler is! It was fun though, and I’m looking forward to the next couple of outings that we have planned for this fall.
Have you ever been camping with a toddler? Let me know how it went for you and give me any tips you have for upcoming trips!
Related posts: Day in the life with my 21-month-old toddler, Oatmeal Biscuits Recipe, Mason Jar Virgin Mojito, Blueberry Picking, and Friday Favorites
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