I spent the weekend at a small campground in Chattanooga, TN, with our scout troop. Here’s the view from my tent:

Raccoon Mountain Campground offers several fun activities: swimming (if the season is right), caving, arcade, and go-karts. It used to offer batting cages, panning for gold, a hanging-cable-car ride up the mountain, and hang-gliding. All of the old stuff is just succumbing to age and elements now.

Saturday morning, the temperature was 18 degrees. I think that may be the coldest temp I’ve experienced on a camping trip.

My frost-covered tent:

The scouts (and scoutmasters) endured a five-mile, five-hour trek through the caves. Benjamin loves doing these kinds of high-adventure trips. I hope the cave mud comes out of those jeans.
One thing I’ll remember most about this camping experience is listening to the wind rolling down and around the mountainside. I could hear it gathering and gaining momentum, much like a snowball, before it rocked my tent with its 10 mph gusts. It was amazing. Benjamin was sleeping a few tents away, but I wasn’t worried about him. I thanked God for our sturdy, wind-resistant tents and the fleece blankets inside our sleeping bags. The air was wicked-cold, but we were quite comfortable.