In mid-August, we ventured to Mt. Rainier for our second annual Ohanapecosh camping trip with our good friends the Coberly's (apparently we didn't scare them off after last year). This time around, we weren't able to get reservations six months ahead of time (all the spots were filled within minutes of opening up), so Mark and Ben left super early Thursday morning to find us walk-up spots. They were successful, then turned around and drove back home to help finish loading up our vans to head right back down.
Instead of returning straight to our camp sites, we first drove up to Paradise. Last year we'd tried to visit Paradise on a Saturday in August, and quickly learned the folly of our ways. We repented, decided to try our luck on a Thursday, and had a much better outcome. We ate packed lunches in the parking lot, then headed up to try out a hike. We didn't pay too much attention to the hike options; we just started up a path.
You've probably already guessed that was a mistake. We found out after our hike that we'd inadvertently chosen the "strenuous" trail. No lie, it was tough. A few of the littler kids tapped out pretty quick.
Once we got past the steepest inclines, attitudes improved, and we were rewarded with some stellar scenery.
We'd once visited Mt. Rainier in July and found snow on an easily accessible hike. We'd told the kids not to expect anything similar this late in the season. Again, the accidental hard hike choice meant we made it to a snow patch! The day was hot, and the kids were grateful to be able to cool off and play a bit.
By this point, Nellie had decided she no longer wanted to be carried in the Ergo. Hiking up steep hills and rocks with a toddler is loads of fun.
Luckily, Nellie has lots of good buddies. First, Caroline led her happily along.
Then, Nellie decided she would allow herself to be carried...but only by Ashley. What a spoiled kid!
That didn't last forever, and eventually we made Nellie get back in the Ergo. The path down was also steep, and parts of it just weren't safe for a "don't-hold-my-hand" toddler. She wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, and spent the last part of the hike screaming, arching her back, and trying her best to get out of her confines.
In the end, it was a challenging 4-mile hike. Probably the hardest hike we'd ever done with our kids. With the obvious exception, they were all troupers! While it was an excellent decision to visit Paradise on a less busy day, I'm not sure it was the best choice to go on a strenuous hike on a hot day on the first day of a three-day, showerless camping trip.
After Paradise, we were all eager to check out our campsites. While the adults set up, the kids wasted no time in getting to the real camping business of playing in the dirt.
They also found some pretty great sticks.
Aubree discovered the joys of pocket knives, and spent a lot of time over the following three days whittling and fashioning walking sticks.
Sometimes the playing in the dirt got a little out of hand. When dirt goes flying, it inevitable ends up in somebody's (or numerous somebodies) eye. Ouch.
We had a simple dinner, and while Mark took the big three to a Ranger Talk, I put Nellie and Graham to bed in the tent. You already know how that turned out, don't you? Graham, who had played hard all day, fell asleep relatively quickly. Nellie ended up being the very last kid to fall asleep, around 11 pm. As is usual on the first night of camping with a baby/toddler, I asked myself "Why do I keep getting myself into this mess?!"
The next morning, after a fun Jr. Ranger class, we decided to try the Silver Creek/Grove of the Patriarchs round trip hike again.
We'd tried this adventure last year, and had to abandon the plan halfway through when the kids fell apart. I'm not sure what made us think this year would be better, but some of us are prone to over-optimism.
At six miles, this hike was the longest we'd ever attempted with our kids, but it was significantly flatter than the previous day's hike.
Nellie was fairly content in the Ergo for most of the hike. When she'd get antsy, we'd point out the water. She's unfailingly captivated by water and water falls.
Silver Falls was even more gorgeous than I remembered. It probably helped that the water was running extra high this season.
The backgrounds of these pictures are so beautiful that sometimes I think they look green-screened in.
When we got close to the Grove of the Patriarchs, we detoured to the banks of the Ohanapecosh River for lunch.
We had no strict timeline, so we let the kids play at the river for as long as they wanted.
Nellie sat at the edge and rubbed her legs with wet rocks. I have no good explanation for this behavior, but she was super content.
Thane worked on his rock skipping skills.
When they'd had their fill of the river, we continued on the the much-anticipated rope bridge crossing.
It's always fun to see the giant trees. The kids insisted on trying to see if they could reach all the way around. They weren't even close, but they think they might have better luck in future years as they grow and their arms get longer.
Now came the real test, heading back. Impressively, we all made it with very little fussing! Graham had been having a rough hiking day. He kept tripping over, and over, and over. The last time he fell was just outside our campsite. He was so exhausted and beaten up at that point that he fell apart. Sweet Bryce rose to the occasion and gently sat by and comforted him until he was ready to return to camp.
We helped replenish his depleted energy stores with jumbo s'mores.
It's nice having slightly older kids who can do some of the roasting on their own.
Time spent at the campsites was generally relaxed and enjoyable. We really love camping with friends; it makes everything so much more fun.
Mark and Ben were great about playing games and reading books with the kids.
Friday night wasn't much better with Nellie, despite the fact that she'd only taken a minuscule nap on the long hike. Despite her obvious exhaustion, she handled herself reasonably well, and I kept reminding myself, this was the last camping trip with a napper.
Saturday morning, we were up early to break down our camping sites. We'd ambitiously planned another big hike, our third in three days. This time, after packing up our vans, we drove a few miles up Highway 410 to the Naches Peak Loop hike. I'd heard of this hike many times, but had never before attempted it.
The way up was another doozy. Steep, steep, steep. Nellie made it about 2/3 of the way before adamantly refusing to stay in the backpack or keep her hat on.
When we reached the summit, our efforts were richly rewarded. We felt like we'd entered a different country and were traversing the Swiss Alps.
It ranks in my top 3 "Most Stunning Places I've Ever Seen." Aubree snapped a breathtaking photo of Mt. Rainier in the distance, but it still doesn't hold a candle to actually being there.
The views were 360 degrees, and amazing in every direction.
We stopped for lunch at the top, and enjoyed the last of our camping supplies.
The walk down the other side of the loop was much longer and somewhat less steep, but no less impressive.
When we made it back to our van hours later, we were filthy, stinky, and exhausted (and really needed to pee), but also exhilarated. What a great adventure we had! I love the Pacific Northwest!
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