I used to be wary of getting too excited about things, least I be disappointed. It still happens. But now, I’m better at realizing that I have a lot of choice in wonderful something turns out. That being said. . .  Our camping trip was a huge success. Allow me to elaborate:
We took off Tuesday around 8:00AM in order to make it for the 11:00 Temple session. My attempts to get a babysitter didn’tpan out so Tom went first while Scotter and I hit Target (Which was actually a super fun Mommy-son date. How often do we just play in the toy aisle. Never! Scotland was in heaven, though he couldn’t figure out why everything was all boxed up. How annoying!) All the souped up monster trucks scared him. He’d push a button and the wheels would start spinning, things would flash, crashing noises would come blasting out, he’d scurry away, looking back as if to ask, “What just happened!” He was equally enthralled with the “girls aisle” as the boys. I found myself frustrated that the two aisle were so distinctly designated. The girls was pink- the boys more black. I want to get Scotland a baby doll. I think all children should have access to a doll to nuture. Target offered nothing that wasn’t frilled out with bows and lace and LOTS of PINK. grrr. I digress.
When I went in for a session Tom took Scotter to Steak and Shake and then they romped around the Temple grounds- enjoying running back and forth over a bridge that crosses a stream near the Temple. It was good to realize that while it’s wonderful to attend the Temple together, taking turns works great too. 
We had decided that we wanted to give Scotland the opportunity to hike in the whole way, if he wanted- despite how long it might take. However, when it came down to it, Tom’s pack was very heavy, and we just got antsy to set up camp. So he walked about half of it (1/4 mile or so) before Tom (who had returned from dropping off his pack) decide to carry him the rest of the way. Scotland was loving the experience however. He liked seeing all the camp sites, picked blackberries for the first time, and found lots of sticks and rocks that interested him. 
That night after setting up the tent, Tom got to work starting a fire so we could cook our tin foil dinners and roast s’mores. We all set to gathering wood, which was in abundance, but was all soaking as there had been a huge rain storm the day before and all morning. At one point I was snapping some sticks that were too long. Scotland kept watching. Then he started to try. He’d squeeze his sticks really hard, and nothing would happen. After watching a few more times, he tried again and “snap!” his stick broke in two! It was one of my prouder moments. My boy, at 17 months, already snapping firewood!
Our campsite had a picnic table- that Scotland was enthralled with. He loved that he could climb up on the benchs, stand up and access anything on the table. He preferred standing on the benches, and as a result of his continual gymnastics- staning with one foot on the bench, the other high in the air, resting his belly on the table- he fell three times. But he’d jump right back up.
The first night was rough. (But not as rough as the second.) We tried to lie Scotland down around 9:00, but he would have none of it. He didn’t like the idea of being left alone in the tent, and cried and cried for a long time, even after I stayed in there with him. He was clearly nervous. Once he realized we would all be sleeping in there together, he sensed the fun of it and started wrestling and tickling and doing his dolphin dive. (He kneels on the ground and then dives- slamming his belly into the ground.) This continued until midnight when he finally crashed- and slept until 10:30 the next morning. (Despite all our driving he’d only slept an hour the day before.) The second night he knew what fun it was to sleep on the floor with Mom and Dad. He was crazy and giddy until 1:00AM squealing, wrestling, tickling, snuggling in, and making sure neither of us had a chance to fall asleep. At first we got restless, but finally decided to embrace it and “wear him out.”
Wednesday was our big hiking day. We left mid-morning and hit the trails. Scotland loved hiking. He enjoyed navigating the rocks and roots that littered the trails, as well as trying to walk up the steps that several trails had. He liked playing in the water, and picking up dirt from the trail and dumping it on our shoes. He liked watching all the other people on the trails, and loved walking back and forth over the bridges. Of course he didn’t understand the one-way street concept, so there was a lot of back tracking.  We found a lot of success in introducing “On your mark, get set, Go!” Then he would race us forward a few steps, before putting out his right foot and waiting for us to say it again. Sometimes he would mumble his own version before saying “Go!” We also introduces swinging, where both of us would take one of his hands and after a “One, Two, Three” we would swing him as far forward as we could. He took to it right away and would say “Too too tee!” One time I showed him the runners mark. Then he started doing that everytime. He’d bend over touching the ground with both hands and wait for us to say “On your mark. . .” Then he would straighten up and run a few paces before bending over again. 
He got really attached to the small Bath and Body Works container of hand sanitizer and loved giving each us drops, and watching us rub our hands together.
I was really pleased with my food prep. We had Sun dried Tomato and Salmon Pasta the first night. The second day we had oatmeal for breakfast, cheesy baco-spuds for lunch, with chicken pesto pasta the second night. All were cooked in one pot and yet were delicious and filling. Thanks to the raccoon we didn’t come home with any extra food- a goal of mine. 
The first morning I awoke to find our tin foil dinners everywhere. (I didn’t mention that the wood was so moist, and even the air so humid that Tom couldn’t even get paper to light! So our tin foil dinners were put back in the pack.) All three had been eaten as well as a package of graham crackers- Raccoons no doubt. The next night Tom hung the pack on a tree, synched down zippers, and we bagged all the food. Hoping they wouldn’t smell it. Unfortunately we hadn’t brought rope so we couldn’t properly hang it away from the tree. That night three raccoons worked at our pack all night as we watched them helplessly with flashlights from our tents, their eyes beaming back at us. They were literally there scratching at our pack and barking and fighting with each other for FIVE hours. Let’s just say Tom and I didn’t get much sleep. Oh, and if you’ve never heard a raccoon, just remember the sound of the ROUSs from “The Princess Bride.” They were a fiesty greedy bunch, and by morning they had torn open a seam and eaten ALL of our food. Leaving only one granola bar and a box of raisens. Luckily, we were planning to leave that morning anyway so it didn’t matter. 
Trevor told me “You really shouldn’t leave Ohio without seeing Hocking Hills.” I’m glad we took his advice. As you can see from the pictures, the scenery was spectacular. The trip couldn’t have been better for us. The longest hike was probably 3 miles round trip, while most were 1-2. Which meant we were able to relax more and let Scotland take his time, without feeling like we were never going to “get there” if we didn’t move along. We were able to see all the major attractions on Wednesday: Old Man’s Cave- and accompanying beauties, Rock House, Conkles Hollow, Ash Cave, and Cedar Falls. Unfortunately, most of the falls were not running due to a super dry summer here in Ohio, but it didn’t matter, the sites were still gorgeous.  It was a good reminder that we need not venture far from home to experience wonders of nature. It also enlivened within us a desire to be more active, and get out in nature more. 
Scotland couldn’t have been happier. Living outdoors is his dream. He only had one 30 minute power nap on Thursday and yet was happy, silly, and energetic. He loved the board walks in Conkles Hollow, the sand and pond at Ash Cave, and the stairs at Old Man’s Cave.
We hit the Ohio State Fair on the way home. Highlights were seeing a baby Snow leopard, seeing how excited Scotter was to sit on his own seat to watch the chariot horsemanship judging. (Not the most interesting event to watch, but horses nonetheless.) Watching pig races, eating BBQ, and letting Scotter feed pigmy goats carrots. 
We all came home exhausted, but rejuvenated just the same.