Our Visit with Gimpy the Mother Bear and her four Babies

There were four babies and Gimpy they decided to go camping at the same campsite as we did. Myself and My daughters Jessica, Sara, and Willow and my son Connor had set up our tents at Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania. Home of the famous Boulder Field which is a natural historical site created during the Ice Age. It is a field of boulders that seem to stretch on forever the Indians in the area considered it sacred, as does my family a visit there always marks the beginning of our summer vacation. Site 93 is where we had called home for the last 2 weeks we go camping there every summer with no fury visitors other than a skunk and a raccoon friendly little squirrels and a chipmunk or two. This year was by far the most exciting we have ever had.

The five of us were having a great time camping we spent the morning on the sandy shores of the lake building sand castles surrounded by moats, flying kites in the huge field adjacent to the lake, where there always seems to be a breeze. Then as the day heated up we splashed into the water and chased the schools of fish shimmering in the cool waters of the lake and if you got lucky you could even see a tadpole. We haven’t caught one yet they are really super fast we keep trying though.

After Relaxing in the water pushing Connor and Willow around on the only item that is a necessity the big fish raft which takes about an hour to blow up and I always forget the pump, a gift from my Brother, thanks Chuck. Sara spends her time underwater with her goggles collecting rocks at the bottom of the lake. Jessica being a Teenager takes to lying on the beach, nothing to exerting for her.

The sun began to set in the most brilliant of colors when we started back to the campsite everyone was so hungry. So I made a fire and the children helped wrap dinner in tin foil so we could cook it on the grill. While I am cooking I occupy the kids in the tent with a big and very bright lantern some coloring books that they show me through the screen tent walls. After dinner we make the obligatory Smores we get to roast marshmallows and make them with graham crackers and chocolate bars, which is everyones favorite part of camping.

We all help put the food in the car we even picked up the marshmallows on the ground they were sticky and covered in dirt and pine needles, gross. I always say if we don’t the bears will come to our campsite to eat, and marshmallows aren’t good