Its that time of year again. When the temps drop to a bearable level the desert becomes our favorite playground again. Living in Southern California has its drawbacks, the traffic and crowds being two big ones. However, no matter how crazy the greater LA area gets you can always find a vacant stretch of desert in the Mojave.

Our first desert camping trip of the season also happened to be Emma’s first camping trip ever! Someday I would love to write a guide on camping with a baby but I think I need a few more trips under my belt first. We planned on driving to a remote campsite, which at first seemed like no big deal but as we took the truck deeper and deeper into the canyon I could not help but think of the worst case scenario. What if something happens, what if she gets sick, maybe we should have stayed closer to the road? Emma slept happily as we bounced on the rough dirt road, and my head filled with all the what ifs. After about an hour of rough driving we got to the campsite. It was located at the top of a wide canyon, open desert extended as far as you could see. A spring was perched up canyon, the lush palms, in stark contrast to the surrounding desert giving it away. We unloaded the truck, and despite what we have been told bringing Emma did not increase our gear needs too much. She had her own little chair and backpack, and we put wool blankets on the ground so she could roll around. There are always going to be what ifs in life, especially when you have kids. You have a choice, You can let the what ifs control you, or you can take that chance and continue to do the things you love. The desire to expose Emma to a bit of wild untamed land set aside any fears I had. She was entranced by the landscape, her little eyes took in the shadows made by the yuccas, and her little ears listened to the sound of coyotes in the distance. I’m not going to lie and say we slept wonderfully, girl is still a baby after all, but waking up early enough to see the sunrise over the ocher painted hills made up for the sleepless night. All things considered our first camping trip was a success, and I’m looking forward to a winter of desert sun and star filled nights with our little family.