I went on my first camping trip in a long time last weekend. Of course the weather wasn't the best. (And the weekend before and after were nice ) We had to switch from tents to cabins because it was raining and there was the threat of snow on Friday. It sprinkled a little bit on Saturday but we saw the sun occasionally. It was a bit of a challenge because we had planned on cooking over a fire but we couldn't because the wood was wet so we had to figure out how to do it inside. We also forgot some necessary food items but luckily people were arriving the next day so they brought the stuff we forgot. We did get some hiking / walking in but spent much of the time inside talking. The board games were also forgotten. I'm sad we didn't get to have s'mores (minus the chocolate for me). However, despite the last minute changes of plans and the weather the weekend was very enjoyable. We will try next camping season sometime to actually do tent camping.

Most of my camping experience was through girl scouts out in PA and some in IL. I think the PA camping most influenced my camping food vocabulary. I would mention foods we had at camp and get blank stares from my companions until I explained what they were. Here is a sample:
Foil Babies
Mountain Pie Pizza
Mountain Pie
Doughboys

Anyone else use those names?

Pattertwig's Pal.
Too bad about your last experience. I do hope you get a chance to get out tenting next time.
As for forgetting things, well, you can count on one thing. You will always forget something. It is the unwritten law of camping, and thus cannot be changed, nor abridged.
Anyway. In looking at the list of meals I can only give a name to two. The first being a foil meal, or Hobo.
Second might be a flatbread with pizza toppings, with
third being strictly flatbread sandwich, that is hand made dough with meat cooked in the middle.
Forth, being handmade dough fried in a pan, preferrably with a cinnimon, and sugar, or honey coating on it.
A question for you.
Did the Girl Scouts teach you any Dutch oven cooking?

I think we made Pizza fondue in a dutch oven.

Foil Babies - food wrapped in foil and then put in the fire to cook
Mountain Pie Pizza - basically it is the same idea as a grilled cheese sandwich but with pizza sauce and pizza toppings inside
Mountain Pie -same idea as above except with pie filling inside
Doughboys - canned biscuits cooked on a stick and then filled with cinnamon sugar

The foil Babies are the same from what you are saying. Only we make sure to wait for a bed of coals, lest the food gets burned.
As for the Pie Pizza using the grilled cheese method, I am guessing that you use two irons that hold the slices together, then held over the fire.

I was one of those people who gave Twig's a blank stare at these terms. )

I also thought you used a pie iron for things like grilled cheese sandwiches or pies. It's one of the camping utensils I use most often.

Hopefully you'll get a chance to tent camp next summer.

I'd planned to camp this past weekend but the campground was full. I could have chosen a different location but I was set on my choice of destination due to the scenic views of Lake Pepin and the nearby apple orchards. I didn't camp but it was a nice day trip capped with a fire and stargazing session.

On Saturday we were out in the woods getting our yearly supply of firewood. There were lots of people camping, but mainly in RVs and campers. There were almost more people out than in the summer; I guess they were taking advantage of the combination of good weather and a long weekend.
Every little pullout along the river had someone parked, some in the provincial camp sites, but mostly anywhere there was enough space to pull a vehicle off the road.

Yes pie irons are used for the mountain pie pizzas and mountain pies. I wasn't sure what the utensil was called.

Yes, I know I just finished posting about how snow is on the ground here. BUT, Spring is in the air somewhere, and I am packing my gear for a trip down south, ( Iowa that is ). It should be a little warmer there, and though I will not be "camping" as it were because of the building I will be in, I will be outside most of the time with other men, shooting guns, bows, and doing other outdoors kind of things. There will also be a fair amount of bellowing to be heard over the other loud noises, (such as belches after much feasting).
So. are there any others who are looking for the weather to give way to outside activities? Hike, bike, or long treks into the not-yet-bug-infested-wild anyone?

Last weekend was so pleasant here that I enjoyed a couple fires with friends, including the cooking of some bratwurst. Yum! Quite different from this weekend, which was capped with about 6 inches of snow here and double that just down the road a bit.

I'm eager to get out too, before the bugs and the tree pollen make their annual appearance. No official camping trips are on the docket yet (other than a return to Lake Superior's North Shore this coming Labor Day) but plans continue.

Had my bit of fun with the fellows in Iowa. It included my holding a class in making cordage ( string ) out of natural fibers. It's always enjoyable seeing adults, and kids twist their faces up concentrating as they learn a new skill.
But, now that that's all over, I get to start packing for another trip with some actual camping involved. This time the Boy Scouts are treating the Weblos, ( just one rank before graduating from Cub Scouts ) to a weekend. Hope the weather is good. Not holding my breath, but that's part of the fun of camping isn't it? Not the holding your breath. But I could see the kids being amused for a few minutes.

It's nice reading about camping, when our weather is really packing in for the cold months. I've just got my back garden redone, and now I have to do indoor tasks, but there are certain cupboards in the garage that have camping gear in them, so I can be reminded of summer every time I open those doors!

North Shore on Labor Day? Looks like you will beat me there stargazer. The Mrs., and I will probably have to wait until the bugs are in full gear.
Some of the funnest camping trips are the ones that are spur-of-the-moment ones coracle. Just be sure to pack the bug spray, and some T.P.

Back from the first Scout camp this year, and I survived Dressed up for rendezvous, and it seems to be a hit with the youngsters.
Was able to do some teaching about fire starting, with parental approval
Cordage making is a little more challenging. I takes some effort to get them interested in making string out of plant, and animal fibers. But once a couple of the dad's got into it at least their boys started.
Thankfully the weather was not overpowering in humidity, with the breeze picking up a bit after noontime, which helped a lot.
There was quite a diversity of birds about as well. A Mockingbird was announcing itself, as well as a Cardinal. There was a Nuthatch also flitting about.
Not to be outdone, a dark swallowtail butterfly made itself an ornament atop the hats of first a parent, and then a scout. Sadly it was very camera shy. Whenever I picked mine up, it quickly made for the treetops. A Tiger Swallowtail also was visible in the upper canopy of the trees, but was just not in the mood for company.

Informal rendezvous this last weekend at a friends. No dressing up,but a lot of ideas passed around. We had an herbalist give a walk and talk on edible, and medicinal plants which is always an interest for those wanting to make better use of the creation God put in our care.

I like your comments about sharing information and the camping/rendezvous experience with others, Puddleglum. I enjoy camping alone very much, but there's something special about sharing this out-of-doors experience with others, too.

We're in the midst of the long Memorial Day weekend here in the US, and as usual all the local campgrounds are full or nearly so. Since the weather was predicted to be wet, I took advantage of glorious late-spring days on this past Thursday and Friday for an impromptu overnight visit to a state park about an hour away. I had no reservations for the weekend but nice spots were available for Thursday night.

I enjoyed the usual activities: cooking over the fire, hiking along the St Croix River, and stargazing (including seeing Venus in broad daylight, using the nearby moon as a guide). Unlike last year, when absurdly high pollen levels forced an early end to the Memorial Day camping, this year pollen has been a lot easier to take. And the lack of mosquitoes and humidity were a bonus too. Packing up a nice dry tent at the end of the trip was a nice finish.

The park sponsored an interpretive program Friday evening about making star wheels (planispheres) and using them to identify the constellations at night. Fun!