Our backpacking expotition

Yeah, you know expotition. From Winnie the Pooh Heffalump movie. It's like an expedition, but with kids involved. Anyways, we took our first family backpacking trip over labor day. We hiked to the lower Palisades Lake which is about 4 miles. Erica carried Jamison, McKinley and Gavin carried their sleeping bags, and I carried as much of everything else that I could. Morgan, Sophie, Devin, and Garrett came too. They helped carry what I couldn't.

We started Saturday morning just before noon. Jamison walked for about 45 minutes. He is so funny to watch. He doesn't actually walk, he runs. McKinley and Gavin were little troopers. They walked all the way there. Here's some pictures of our little hikers.




We camped just above the lower lake at the main campground. Devin and Garrett let us use their tents and they slept in their hammocks. Here's our little home away from home.

Sunday we got up and made our way up to the upper lake which is another 2.7 miles. Mom and James met us at the bridge where you cross the creek and head up the switchbacks to the upper lake. It was fun to just "happen" to bump into them. They helped carry Gavin up the switchbacks. McKinley almost made it to the top. She stopped about 100 yards from the top where you can see down to the lake and just said "I'm not walking any farther". Erica carried her the last little bit up the hill until McKinley saw the lake and then she got down and started walking again. It was kind of funny.

My brothers and I have been to the lower lake quite a few times but none of us have ever been to the upper lake. We would ride our bikes to the lower lake and fish but had never gone the rest of the way to the upper lake. The fishing is not that great up there, but the lake is a lot bigger and really pretty.

We had lunch up there and then headed back. We fished in the creek on the way back to the lower lake and caught a load of fish for dinner. Gavin had fun fishing with me, Morgan, Devin, and Garrett.


That night the kids ate so much food! They had burned a lot of energy walking that far and they were hungry. The 7 lb watermelon that Devin packed in tasted pretty darn good that night!

We packed up and headed out on Monday. The kids walked all the way out too. We were so proud of them that we promised that we could stop at the (old) Swan Valley Commissary (I don't remember what it's called now) and got square ice cream cones. It was a fun weekend. The kids had fun and did a great job walking. We walked about 13.4 miles in three days. Gavin got carried a little bit on Sunday but McKinley walked almost every bit of it.

Erica and I are so proud our our little hiker children. It will be a weekend to remember. It went pretty well, so I think that we will have to go again sometime. Sophie had some fun pictures that she took with her camera. We'll have to get copies and post some of them. She posted some on her blog but it is private.

Thanks for your help bros (and Sophie), we'll return the favor some day!