This was no ordinary hike, though: this was a stick hunt. With the tent pitched, the grill set up, and the cooler latched shut to ward off nosy animals, Ben and I set off on a hike. The tent is easy to pitch and offers plentiful room for a four-year-old and adult male, along with way too much stuff the adult male brought along. We had brought my Kelty Gunnison 3 three-person tent, one of those rare tents that can comfortably accommodate the number of people it says (most “three-person” tents are ideal for two adults, e.g.). Then I set him up in a chair and plied him with trail mix while I set the tent up as quickly as I could. 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.
