I was kind of worried that my outdoorsman muscles had atrophied somewhat, since it had been some time since I’d been camping regularly, but the skills honed through many years of Scouting (where I hit a peak average of an outing every eight weeks or so some time in my mid-teens) came back without a hitch.

It was nice to strap a pack on again, at least figuratively (the kids are a little young for wilderness backpacking weekends right now; but just wait until they’re older..Muah Ha Ha Ha!); there’s something to be said for building a nice campfire and cooking your dinner over it, even if the meal’s a simple one.

The woods and weather treated us nicely (other than that pointy root that kept finding the small of my back at night), and, while I’m aware I’m saying this after a good night’s sleep in my own bed last night, I’m looking forward to the next trip (late saturday evening, I likely wouldn’t have made the same admission).

The real thrust of our little mini-vacation was to make a day of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire; the camping was primarily a vehicle for getting us closer to our destination, and spread out the driving. In that duty, it performed admirably and with great valor. Besides, we had most of the gear already (and it as an excuse to invest in a huge new tent).

We always have fun with RenFaires; having missed the VA faire this year, the trip to Mount Hope seemed worth making. No period garb this time, though I did get many fine compliments on my Captain Hammer T-shirt, both from folks in and out of character; the in-character compliments were entertaining; several variants on “Good Sir, I greatly admire your garments this fine day, huzzah!”, or “Where didst though obtain your most excellent vestments, my Lord?” Sadly, or not, the day was free of “How Hangs Thy..,” jokes, and no one was forward enough to ask me to show them “the hammer”; that might have been awkward.

I will say that as good as the PA Faire always is, the production values really rose since I was last there; the “final joust” climax included some really nice choreography, stunt riding, falls from great height, and pyrotechnics. The day’s story involving a visiting Russian Czar seeking an English bride was fun, if not exactly historically accurate. Even if the Muscovites devolved into some serious moustache-twirling villiany, I still liked them better, especially since the English “hero” couldn’t be bothered to affect an English accent (the Russians, however, were quite good).

To close, I offer a few random observations to pull this post out of the mire of “we did this, then we did that” blogging that I honestly try to avoid if at all possible:

• drabbits are cool
• The Mount Hope winery Honey Mead has a kick like mule, which makes it even more awesome, thank you very much
• Any play is dramatically improved when the heroes exit…Pursued by a Bear!