Family Backpacking

This summer we decided to go backpacking as a family.  I loved and hated it.

My kids are AMAZING!  Pepper and Sedona are little mountain goats---Sedona for sure--Pepper was more like me and would have been happy to go a mile and camp.

We choose to go to lakes mostly since both girls love to fish and it makes for a good motivation.

I will post a new post for the 4 different places we went--but here is an overview....


Sedona and Pepper both carried (a TON of stuff!)

1. Their sleeping bags
2. extra pair of clothes (including light shoes)
3. Poncho
4. Gorp
5. Whistle
6. A coat
7. chap stick
8. Flashlight (small & Ligtht)

And Sedona also carried
9. A compass
10. Some water (About 4 cups-except on the 1st one--she carried way more)


I carried
1. Wheeler--that boy gained weight between ever hike!
2. my sleeping bag
3. sleeping pads
4. the diaper bag (a few diapers, wipes, and a few other things)
5. a camelpack
6. a front fanny pack (which doubled as the diaper bag, but also held, whistle, lighter, sunscreen, and a few more things like that.


Lucas carried
Everything else...he had a huge pack on.--but he took a HEAVY coat and a way HEAVY sleeping bag---silly man!  I hope Santa brings us (Lucas and I) lighter sleeping bags for Christmas. The girls are pretty small and light.



The first trip was awesome.  We went to big lake--about 2 1/2 miles of an easy trail.  good fishing, beautiful lake, just over all nice.  Pepper had on a backpack that wasn't supposed to be used backpacking, but she still do good (since it was smaller she carried the 1st aid kit and a few other things-but not her backpack).  Sedona carried a FULL camelpack along with all her other stuff so her pack was WAY to heavy for her, but she still did awesome.

Everything went really well except the last 5 minutes.  Lucas and Sedona went ahead of Pepper, Wheeler, and me--and it started to rain and hail a little so we had to run the last little bit to the car since there was NO where to get out of the weather. 
Every time I backpack I gain a little more heartache and appreciation for the pioneers.

At the start of the trail. 

 Cut little waterfall about 1/2 way up--just past the 1st small lake called Rock Lake
 



Do you see the red jacket in the right of this picture and the brown coat?  That is Sedona and Lucas--Pepper is right behind them.

THIS is the reason I will not go backpacking again for a few years--Read the other backpacking posts to find out why. 

He loved my walking sticks and was ready to go

 

Lucas enjoyed the fishing and caught quite a few

 

It rained a little while we where there, but they seemed to like it!

 

Mom letting wheeler out to walk a little.

Wheeler didn't know what to think of the fish Lucas had caught--love that face