I was talking to my mum the other day about a tramp (hiking trip) I did with her, my step dad Graham and my two friends when we were teenagers. It is a very fond memory for me but perhaps not so for my mum and Graham. Here’s why…

To set the scene it was winter ❄ & we tramped to the Te Iringa Hut (which unfortunately got burnt down some years ago). My two friends had not really done anything like this before, apparently being stubborn teens we were all determined to wear our pants on top of our thermal underwear (polypropylene) and were mortified at the thought of wearing them without anything on top (as my mum and Graham were😂) therefore we all learned the hard way ending up with drenched, cold and heavy pants to wear!

[Top photo: Me, Janelle, Fern and my mum, Kirsty. Bottom photo: Sullen teenagers!🤣]

During the walk to the hut one of my friends started to get blisters as her boots were rubbing her feet badly. Plasters helped a bit but not enough… What to do?  To keep everybody moving forward happily my step dad (very kindly) suggested she wear his boots and he …yup wear hers. My friends & I continued merrily along the now snowy track towards the hut, blissfully unaware of the agony that Graham was enduring by scrunching up his toes so he could wear the boots!  When we arrived at the hut we encountered problem number two. There were only two beds left in the hut and there were five of us. My folks told us to share the two spaces, while they pitched their pup tent outside, in the snow…  Meanwhile, us three girls had a lovely, warm, cosy time snuggled up in our beds listening to the fascinating stories told by the hunters we were sharing the hut with while my poor folks experienced a very cold night in their tent!

[Me on the left, Janelle on the right cosy in our bunk beds! My folks tent spot on the right!]

The walk home for Graham as you can imagine was pretty bad, but he suffered in silence or only grumbled to my mum! We were super oblivious and no doubt had only thoughts for ourselves and probably McDonald’s as you do when you are a teen! Or at least I did!

No doubt I’m in for some payback when my kids reach these wonderful years!🤣🤣 Strangely Graham never did offer to take me and my friends on another tramp!

Here are some links to blogs Anita and I have written previously on some other epic failures which you might find amusing😂 You’re welcome!

How to fail at solo over-nighting with kids part one

How to fail at solo over-nighting with kids part 2

Sick kid in a hut part 1

Sick kid in a hut part 2

So there you have it, we totally fail at this outdoor adventuring with the kiddos sometimes, but what can totally suck at the time often leads to valuable life lessons and failing stories that are “funny now” not so much then. 😉🌿✌

Thanks

Tammy