Benjamin “helped” me get the tent poles ready by popping them back out of joint a few times after I had them assembled, but of course I commended his efforts and expressed gratitude for the assistance. We arrived at our campsite at the Fahenstock State Park Campground in New York at around 1 pm and immediately began to set up camp. Ben took to the woods and the camping lifestyle at once.

It turns out that I over-thought things by a factor of 10.

I figured that if you’re bringing a four-year-old camping, you should make the experience as low-impact as possible.