Pip and Rex Go Camping

            by Lani Rosenthal

 

Pipsula Pickerdelli Pinkerton and her dog, Rex, were best friends.  They did everything together, from eating ice cream, to building forts, to looking at creepy-crawly bugs.

 

 

One evening, Pip’s parents said to her, “Pip, tomorrow we are going to go on a camping trip.  We can sleep in tents and go swimming in rivers, and we can even bring Rex along.”

Pip was very excited.  She had never been camping before, but she always liked to try new things.  “Come on, Rex, let’s go get ready!” she shouted.  Pip and Rex spent the night thinking about all of the fun stuff that they might do the next day.  They would get to sleep outside, go hiking, sing songs around a campfire, and maybe even see a lot of stars.

 

 

The next morning, Pip, Rex, and both of Pip’s parents piled into their car and drove to the forest.  When they got to their campsite, everyone got out of the car and stretched.  Pip tried to help unload the trunk, but the big boxes were too heavy.  So, she pulled out everyone’s bags instead.

 

 

            “This is where we’ll be camping tonight,” Pip’s dad said.  “We’d better set up the tents.”

            Pip’s mom and dad got a long green bag out of the trunk.  First, they pulled the tent out and laid it flat on the ground.  Then, they grabbed a bunch of thin, shiny poles and started snapping them together.

            Pip thought it looked pretty easy, so she decided to set up the other tent by herself.  First, she and Rex tried to spread the tent cloth out on the ground, but it was so big and twisted that they couldn’t get it to lay flat.  Then, Pip tried to snap the poles together, but they just wouldn’t snap!  Rex tried to help out, but he couldn’t do much with his paws.  He just got everything all slobbery.

 

 

            Just then, a squirrel scurried past. Rex ran after it, barking loudly.

            “Oh no, Rex, don’t chase that!” Pip shouted.  She tried to run after Rex, but she got caught in the tangled tent and tumbled to the ground.

 

 

            After Pip’s parents helped her get free from the tent, they decided to take Pip and Rex on a hike.  Pip and Rex lagged behind them, chasing after butterflies and stopping to look at the wildflowers that made the hills so bright. 

 

 

            “Look at this one, Rex,” Pip exclaimed, holding up a bright orangy-yellow flower.  “It’s so pretty!”  Pip picked a handful of the golden flowers and started weaving them into a crown.  “Here you go Rex,” she said when she was done.  “Now you look like the King of Dogs!”  Rex pranced along the trail, proud of his new flower crown.  But just as he was turning around to come back to Pip, Rex saw a big brown bird in the middle of the trail.

            “Oh no, Rex, don’t chase that!” Pip shouted as Rex started running.  The bird flapped its wings noisily and took off with a loud “SQUAWK!”

 

 

            Pip went around a bend in the trail and found her parents sitting on a rock, waiting for her.  They’d found Rex, and he was waiting with them too.

            “Honey, did you pick these flowers to make a crown for Rex?” Pip’s parents asked her.

            “Yes.  Aren’t they pretty?” she replied.

            “Yes they are, but you should always be careful not to pick too many flowers so that other people can enjoy them too,” Pip’s dad said.

“And these are special flowers,” Pip’s mom added.  “They’re golden poppies, our state flower!”

“We should probably head back to camp now and get dinner started, don’t you think?” Pip’s dad asked.

“Mm-hmm!” Pip said as her stomach grumbled.

They all walked back to the campsite together, and Pip’s parents went to get wood from the Ranger Station just down the road.

“You two be good and stay in the campsite,” they called out as they left.

 

 

            Pip and Rex wandered around the picnic table and the tents looking at bright leaves, creepy crawly critters, and cool rocks.  After a while, though, they ran out of things to look at.

            “Wow,” Pip said.  “I bet there are lots of grasshoppers in that meadow over there.  I don’t think Mom and Dad would mind too much if we just took a quick peek.  It’s really close and we won’t stay for very long.”

            Rex barked at Pip.  He didn’t want her going to the meadow and getting in trouble.

“Oh come on, Rex.  It’ll be fun!” Pip said.  Rex didn’t want to go, but he followed after her to keep her safe.

The meadow was very pretty, with lots of tall grasses and flowers, and Pip thought that skipping through the meadow would be really fun.  She skipped in a line, a zigzag, and a circle.  She skipped with Rex and she skipped by herself.

            “Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch” Pip heard from somewhere nearby.  She stopped skipping and looked around.  Curled up on the ground in front of her was a rattlesnake!

 

 

Pip knew that some snakes were dangerous, but she had never seen any before, and she couldn’t remember if she was supposed to make herself look as big and scary as possible or if she was supposed to back away slowly.  The snake shook its tail again.  Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch.  Rex came running over, barking loudly.  Pip took one look at his face and knew exactly what she was supposed to do.  Run away!  She ran all the way back to camp and right SMACK! into her mom.

            “Are you okay?” her mom asked.  “What happened?”

 

 

“We went out in the meadow even though you told us not to because we wanted to find some grasshoppers, but then there was a snake that rattled at me and I didn’t know what to do, and then Rex came running over and barked at it, and I ran away,” Pip said very quickly.

“We were really worried when we came back to the campsite and saw that you and Rex were missing.  You shouldn’t have left even though you wanted to find grasshoppers.  You know that we would have taken you once we got back,” Pip’s mom said.  “It’s a good thing Rex was there to protect you.”  She smiled at Rex and patted him on the head.  “Do you promise not to go off by yourself again, even if you have Rex with you?”

“Yes,” Pip said.

“OK then, let’s go eat!” Pip’s mom replied.

After a tasty dinner of spaghetti and tomato sauce, Pip and her family gathered around the campfire.  They sang songs and looked at the stars, trying to find as many constellations as they could.  They even roasted marshmallows for s’mores.  Pip’s had never roasted a marshmallow before, but she always liked to try new things.  Pip’s first marshmallow caught on fire.  Her second marshmallow fell off of the stick.  But Pip’s third marshmallow was perfect – golden-brown and crunchy on the outside, warm and oooey-gooey on the inside.  Pip took her perfect marshmallow and made a perfect s’more.  She even let Rex lick her perfectly sticky fingers.