Mammoth in July

When I was newly pregnant with Eden someone told me that their favorite part of being a parent was vicariously reliving their childhood through their children. I thought to myself, that is for you but not for me. I hardly wanted to be a kid when I was a kid - just in this huge rush to grow up all the time and now that I was an adult I was actually quite enjoying it. But I finally realize now that I am doing the very thing that random guy was talking about. I guess as a parent it is only natural to try to give your kids what you envision as "the greatest childhood". And these camping trips are part of Jon and I's vision...providing them with as much freedom in their environment as we can safely ascertain with hearts and heads full of love as fuel for their journey. 

That being said, this trip had it's particular challenges...the mosquitoes were thick as thieves. Jon and I could barely stand the itching, and even though the kids' faces and bodies were covered in them not one of them uttered a complaint about it until our final day - our big indication that they were finally ready to leave. It also rained every day. Not drizzle rain, downpour rain, muddy swimming pools in the camp rain, rain like we never get in southern California. That can be hard while camping, but the kids were troopers and it really didn't get anyone down. It all just sort of worked out beautifully. We were thrilled to hear the thunder and watch for lighting and try to sneak activities in between storms - feeling like we were cheating nature in doing so. About midway through the trip Eden was already planning our next camping trip and thats when I felt like I never wanted to leave.

Lake Mary

We camped in a different area of Lake Mary. The fishing was not nearly as good as our usual spot but it was incredibly beautiful. It was also great for the kids on the day we arrived to be able to run down to the lake and jump in and paddle around without getting in the way of the "serious" fisherman that frequent our normal spot.

Zion found a dead fish which he was pretty into.

Looking for bugs at sunset.

Day 2

We started the day with our usual swing/toprope then headed to June Lake where we played for most of the day. That afternoon we rode our bikes to our friends' house in Mammoth to swim with them at their pool. We got a little carried away at the pool and missed our trolly home so we stayed for dinner and they drove us home. Their kids are adorable and they were so wonderful and gracious, it was really special to have that time with them.  

Klamath is completely airborne he is so excited.

Typical Zion mode

Eden was super excited to paddle across June Lake. She made it all the way across and most of the way back all on her own.

Eden making friends by sharing sea glass.

Day 3

We started the day with unsuccessful fishing at Lake Mary then headed over to our newer towrope/swing to work on my summer project. I was very excited to be able to finish it this trip - it's a beautiful climb with great movement. Meanwhile Eden began showing a lot more interest in climbing this trip. Picking out climbs and asking for help in climbing them without any prodding from us. It was like a complete transformation - welcome and out of the blue. After climbing we went fishing at Lake George. We had all sorts of grand plans of hiking halfway around the lake and picnicking from a big rock which we would also jump into the lake from. When we got to the lake the sky was threatening and loud so we stayed close which was good because we caught more fish than we knew what to do with and it was hailing by the time we drove away.

Day 3  - Rock Creek

We spent most of this day at Rock Creek hiking out of Mosquito Flats. Eden insisted on wearing her sandals so she could cross the streams with greater ease which translated into her being barefoot for most the hike which worked out well enough, although on our next hike she was sure to wear shoes. The kids are getting slightly better at hiking and seem to be enjoying it more and more. Eden kept asking me when we would be there. I kept explaining to her that there really was no "there" in this case and that we were just enjoying getting out into nature. We went back and forth in this manner for some time until I finally pointed to the mountains in the distance and asked her if she thought Elsa's castle was back there. She was pretty sure it was so from that point on I couldn't keep up with her. She could have hiked toward those mountains for an entire day without becoming weary. But turning around was another thing. She had little to no patience for the long walk back.

Just before this pic was taken, Zi was messing around in this stream and hooked a baby fish all on his own. Klamath brutally attacked it before a pic could be taken. Here while Eden is getting a turn at it he is pushing and shoving her so that he can have his turn again. Jon has all but given up on fly fishing with these kids at this age.

Pie in the Sky! The BEST pie I have ever eaten, It sort of makes an imprint on your brain.

After the hike and the pie we met our friends in town and took the kids for a horseback ride. The sky was threatening with loud thunder just overhead but we managed to squeeze in the ride before the rain began to pour. The kids were thrilled beyond words about all of it. At one point Eden's little girlfriend saw lightning for the first time and said it looked like a firework - I thought that was pretty special.

After horses we drove up to Convict Lake hoping to escape the rain but did not. We ended up fishing in the rain for a bit then headed over to the hot springs. The kids loved the hot springs. They would go every day if we would take them. But they will be lucky if they ever get to see another hot spring ever again. Jon is pretty disgusted by them. 

Jon sizing up the people next to us - some kids on who knows what type of drugs (or so he presumed).

It doesn't matter how old he gets - he will always find the dirtiest dirt and cover himself with it.

Day 4 - Tuolumne Meadows

Originally we were gonna camp up here but with all the rain we decided to stay put as it was calling for the heaviest rain in this area. In the end it also seemed easier to not move camps and we were able to get in a couple amazing days up here managing to avoid the rain till late in the day.

The kids are getting better at climbing. We are finding ourselves in this awkward spot where the unrated climbs are becoming too easy and the rated ones are still a bit too hard, but each time we go we discover new areas to take them and come up with new ideas. It is really a dream to see them excited to climb. I am still pinching myself not willing to let myself believe that they really like it as much as they do.  

Zion's version of a figure 8 knot. He was so proud.

Post climb stoke! She was climbing so fast that I could hardly get a picture of her.

I think this was the night we came back from our incredibly busy and tiring day and Eden said - I think I'm gonna go ride my bike to get a little energy out. What energy??? Can I have some please????

Day 5 - 20 Lakes Basin

This hike and the mosquito flats hike are both pretty special and unique. This is a favorite for fishing but it is also just breath-taking everywhere you turn. To start the hike you take a boat across Saddlebag Lake. There are so many different directions to go in that it is easy to find yourself completely alone. We went in the direction of Conness Lakes. Just over a mile hike with over 700ft of elevation gain along the way. The kids pretty much charged it. I was blown away. There was definitely some grumbling along the way but it was all well worth the journey. Once we were up there  Jon and I found a little rock traverse that we could jump in from. The water was colder than ice and the kids thought we were crazy, but it was super fun!

Just dipping his toes - that's how you know it was cold. I've hardly ever seen Zi near a body of water and not completely submerge himself. 

Kids laughing at Jon traversing out to the jump.

Getting warm on the rock

Eden was so excited to play in this snow (note she is barefoot), she said she thought it would have pretty good snowboarding in the winter and told Jon she wanted him to bring her here next winter. 

If you know Zi you know how much he loves this bug shirt. He was super excited to wear it on his hike and catch bugs in it.

Oh my gosh what did we do to our kids?! They are destroyed!

This was a totally accidental moment that I am so happy I caught. Zi was taking a drink and he let his hand fall and Eden lunged in for a taste of his. I don't think he even noticed.

 

Day 6

On our last day we revisited the usual climb/swing then played for a bit at June Lake. We even managed to get one last bike ride to the Village in. Most the time I feel like last days are sort of a waste because everyone has leaving on their mind. This day was an exception to that rule. We all soaked up every last bit of that mountain air not really knowing when we would return to it again.

That is a snake courtesy of some really cool Bishop boys who were hunting and gathering them in the reeds. They were super nice to give the kids a turn holding their biggest one. 

And Zion is out cold half way through the trolly ride.