Into the woods

Oh! Finally we got to go camping this summer! We had gone up American Fork Canyon wheelin' a few times and loved it. So we decided to camp there for a few days. We went with Joey and his family- wife Kristy, and kids Marissa, McKade, and Mckenzie, and Raney and Ty. We had so much fun. Lewis had said this was one of his best camping trips ever! We left on Friday morning. I had to drop Dewie off to my mom. She is not a fan of the camping and hiking. We take her with us to the cabin, but this was something that little three inch legs could not handle. Koko was very excited. The day before we left she was playing with a bee. Koko is allergic to bees and she has not learned her lesson yet. Instead of her face swelling up, she got really sick and barfed, and was lethargic. After a few benadryl she was back to normal. For the trip, Lew had put all of our gear in the back of the truck and left a little space for Koko in between the cab and the luggage. She did great. She did get a little overheated and had to cool off in the river. This is a shot of our camping spot. It was on top of a hill, overlooking Forest Lake. There were a group of drunk guys that got their trucks stuck in the lake one night. That was a bit of entertainment for us.

The only minor mishap happened to Ruby. Her backpack got left at home. For the ride she wanted to be comfortable and cool. She wore a sleeveless dress and flip flops. THAT WAS ALL SHE HAD THE WHOLE TRIP!!! Ruby was so upset. We had good hiking shoes, warm clothes, hot clothes, jammies, jackets, and a few extra outfits for emergencies. Well, it was a good thing I pack the same way for Zane because they are the same size, and they got to share. Ruby was not thrilled about this. She did not want to wear boy clothes. Zane likes wearing girl clothes, so what was the problem? Raney was a sweetheart and let Ruby wear one of her shirts. It was girl clothes and purple, so Raney saved the day! On Saturday we decided to go for a casual hike up to Pittsburg Lake. We thought it was about a mile hike. WRONG! The map said it is a mile and a half to the lake, but it does not mention that it's straight uphill the entire way with gravel and lots of rocks. Remember how I told you Ruby only had flip flops. Yea. We had to carry her the whole way. And Zane is not a fan of hiking. So he needed to be carried as well. It was a tough hike. It was great though. I love hiking. I love being outdoors. I love the smells and feeling the strain on your muscles. It was peaceful and a workout at the same time. The hike was one of the best parts of the whole trip.

I am so grateful for Lewis's family. I knew this before, and they never let me down. My kids are about 40 pounds each. I carried one, Lew carried another one. Each family also had backpacks with lunch and water that were equally heavy. Sometimes I get frustrated with my body, like most girls do. There are parts of it that I wish were thinner, or more muscular. But when it comes down to it, I'm grateful that I have a healthy body. I'm thankful that I was able to protect my kids and carry them so they would not get hurt. When Lew or I got tired Raney, Ty or Joey would step up and help us carry them. There was not one complaint muttered. They are so wonderful. I really don't know how we could have made it up the mountain with out them. I love them so much. They love our kids and have an endurance of work horses!

This is at the top of Forest Lake. It was so beautiful. That day it was overcast, perfect weather for hiking. See Ruby's cute shirt. Thanks again Raney! On the other side of the lake there is an old miner's cabin. It was in bad shape. We explored that and found a fire pit on the inside. Indoor heating!

While the kids and I were taking pictures of the cabin, Lewis, aka Huck Finn, found this trusty raft and went for a ride with the dog.

Ruby and Zane went fishin' with Dad on the raft too.

Ty caught this fish. I love the colors. Isn't it pretty?

On the way down the mountain, Zane fell asleep in Joey's arms. That kid can sleep anywhere. He even slept through the transition into my arms, and then Raney's.

This is at the end of the hike. There is a river that we had to cross, so we cooled off there for a while. In the picture is Ty, Ruby, Raney, Kenzie, and Marissa.This is a shot of Lew, Koko and McKade. If you look at the light lines above Lew's head, that is the road where our truck is parked. We were about half way down the mountain at this point. Kade is a really good hiker. He had to keep stopping and resting while we caught up.

This is a shot from where we were camped at. This is Forest Lake and the little white dots is the fam.

Here is a sweet picture of the boys- Zane, Joey and McKade. Christmas card material? What?! You think something is wrong here? Do you want a close up?

What is that in Joey's pants you say? It's a salamander. Joey didn't mind. He didn't even flinch when it was dropped into his pants. Is this why no one but our family will go camping with us?

Here is that squirmy little thing. This was taken before he was put into the toxic enclosure.

There are some really good rock crawling trails up American Fork Canyon. Joey likes to straddle the obstacles.


This is Gordon, flexing for the camera.
By the end of the trip Zane realized that he has a new hero, cousin McKade.

We had a great time and can't wait to go again. If anyone wants to go with us, we would love it! Just make sure you wear a belt.