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Pretzel making class at Panteria XVIII - Laura Hamilton photo |
The Panteria organizers did an excellent job of rolling with the punches and making room in some of the indoor venues for activities that would have otherwise happened outside. The kitchen staff all deserve metals of honor for keeping everyone fed and supplied with hot beverages. For those strong of heart and constitution, staying through until Monday seemed to pay off. The best was made of the rain and snow (I hear there was a snowball fight) and it seems that there were classes and competitions that happened regardless of the weather. I wish we could have stayed for them.
There are two things that I've taken away from Panteria - children's activities and camping in the cold and wet. I had a delightful and inspiring conversation with Lady Albreda Aylese of Carolingia about making sure that the events planned for kids closely parallel adult activities. There were A&S activities, but there were also events like the pretzel making where the kids learned things like, the first thing you do when entering the kitchen is wash your hands. They were taken on a tour of the kitchen to see what was going on there and then they all got to salt their own pretzel. Several of the youth martial activities took a hit, but some, like the youth fencing, went on as scheduled. Of course, it's ultimately up to parents to make sure their kids aren't bored to tears at events, but those of us with an interest in organizing events can help out by making sure that kids learn what sort of roles they can play even if there is no specific "children's activity" planned. Hopefully, I can use some of this inspiration to help with youth events at GNE.
Camping is tricky enough when it rains or when it's cold, but put the two together and it's a recipe for a rough weekend. There are several things I know now that experienced campers probably take for granted:
1. Have Extra Tarps. We don't have a nice period pavilion yet, and, in a way, I'm sort of glad for that. In prepping for this weekend, we bought three new tarps. One, of course went under the tent for ground cover. One went over our tent and the extra layer kept us dry through a night of heavy rain. I probably wouldn't have done that if it was our first time in a period pavilion. Tarps. They may be ugly and distracting, but don't go camping without them.
2. Layers of Clothing. Wool Clothing. As I noted last week, there was a LOT of sewing in preparation for this event. Five of the people in our household had no period garb whatsoever and The Husband had no warm garb. I made sure that everyone had at least three layers to put on, but despite this, cotton and linen are no match for rain and cold. When we do early and late season events in the future, I will be sure that my immediate family at least has a full wool layer to pull on, plus mittens and hoods for the kidlet and myself.
One of the recommendations I saw was that we have a set of warm clothes to change into for sleeping. Husband protested having to get out of his clothes, but in the end, I think he's glad he did. It kept the bed dry and we were all able to snuggle and warm up in short order. Thick dry socks made for comfortable feet in bed and the only thing we were missing was caps to keep our heads warm. For the future, I'll make some simple caps of fleece that we can wear when we sleep.
3. Quick Kitchen Set Up and FIRE! NOW! When it's cold, the first thing the kids are going to complain about is, you guessed it, that they're cold. Now, admittedly, most of the kids in our group aren't used to having to wear layers to keep warm and it was a fight to get them to do it. Even after they did, however, it was so damp that the chill seeped into our bones. Enter the fire pit. In hindsight, I think I would have started the fire sooner, so that the kids could park themselves around it to warm up. One of the first things I'll have them do at the next event is to go in search of stones to create a "DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE" ring around the fire. Despite our best warnings, the kids had to be repeatedly told to back away from the fire. Once the ring was set up around the firepit, that was no longer an issue. Then there was the matter of cooking.
Now, personally, I love the idea of going to an SCA event and spending the whole weekend cooking over the campfire, but there are some practicalities that need to be worked out. Like if it's raining, your fire will go out. We had a camp stove with us and that has worked out great for us in the past, but it was having issues this time around so cooking had to happen on the hot coals. Trouble was, the fire was surrounded by cold children and menfolk. My future setup will have a fire ring for sitting around and then a separate fire bowl for cooking. A little one-burner camp stove will be a useful backup for dampened campfires or for keeping a put of water hot.
Finally, while a camp kitchen setup may seem like a luxury, the ability to open a box and go would have been really useful. Kids were hungry. It was getting dark. Everyone was cold. All of our kitchen gear was safely stowed in a plastic tote, which kept it dry but made it impractical to get at anything. A camp kitchen is on my short list for future camping gear.
Side note: The Girl Ccout camp that hosts Panteria had these lovely little shelters scattered about and each one had a handful of picnic tables and (insert choir of angels here) a fireplace. If it's going to rain or looks like it might rain, and a roofed shelter with fireplace is available for use, take it.
4. Have a Backup Plan. Weather in New England is a tricky business. It rarely does what anyone thinks it will. However, when the weather people agree that it's going to be rainy and cold all weekend, and they agree on Monday, and again on Wednesday, and again on Friday before you leave for the event, take the hint. Seriously consider if you have the gear to deal with rain and cold. Consider the site you're going to. Are all the activities you're interested in guaranteed to happen, rain or shine? Are there heated indoor venues for activities to be held in? Are you going to be able to feed yourself and your family if it's pouring? Are you going to be able to stay warm and dry? If you answered no to any of these questions, it may be time to disappoint people and cancel the trip or compromise and go for a day.
If, like us, you throw caution to the wind and go anyway, it helps to be sure to have something else to do. Games are greatly appreciated by all and are a lovely way to meet people. Panteria had people spinning and painting and playing music in the main feast hall all day on Saturday. I brought some blocks and my pick-up-sticks and the kids and I had a good time building things and seeing who had the steadiest hand. It wasn't archery or watching the horses do their thing, but it kept them from whining about being bored.
For more valuable info about camping and the SCA and some great lists to inspire your own, check out these links:
SCA Camping 101
CT's SCA Camping Page
DragonBear's Pennsic Packing List
You Forgot The What? A Packing List
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