Carolyn and Doug head out for a night too

When the boys left on their overnight camping trips, Doug and I realized we had a night to ourselves! We too headed out for a little adventure, up to a fishing hut to “camp out.” Unlike the boys, though, we had running water, a bed and a cozy fireplace. We went for a great hike, grilled steaks under the stars and snuggled next to the fireplace. I had big plans for a morning hike, but instead slept like a log until 10 am, which is the latest I’ve slept since we arrived in New Zealand.

On our late afternoon hike, we tried to take a shortcut across a boggy area and ended up thigh deep in water and muck. I was leaping tussock to tussock, feeling like I was going to make it across until I looked back to see Jolie flaying in a deep, water-filled hole with just her head visible. I turned back to rescue her because Doug was too far away. By the time I pulled the eighty-pound Jolie out of her pit, we were both soaked and covered in foul-smelling muck. We were a beautiful sight as we returned to the hut.

Without a phone at the fishing hut, I was nervous that, in an emergency or if the weather turned ugly, the boys would return to find us gone. We packed our neighbor’s numbers in the boys’ packs so that if one or both boys headed home early, they could call our neighbor to drive out and get us. Luckily, all went smoothly on the trips.