Backpacking Trip

In mid-August, Elvin took some of the kids on a backpacking trip.  It consisted of a hike along a creek in the Gifford Pinchot Forest.  The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful.

Elvin went with three other dads from our church and between all the families, had nine kids in tow!

We stopped at various times along the way to wade in the water, which the kids love doing.

Gabe found a tree that has a plant growing out of it, with long thick roots enveloping the tree.  Of course, he tried to climb it.

After we set up camp about a mile and a half in, we ditched our packs and explored some more.

The water was very clear and we found a deep pool to fish out of.

Elvin caught a couple of tiny little trout in them.

Meanwhile, Gabe went off wading in the knee high water.

Soon it was dinner time.  Dehydrated mashed potatoes were on the menu.

Being on the mountain makes everything taste better.  Karina is our kid that mosquitos love to bite.  So she kept on a mosquito net but lifted it up to take bites of the mashed potato.  The kids also had beef jerky and cup-o-noodles.

For dessert, we built a fire (which kept the mosquitos away) and had s'mores.

The kids had lots of fun.  They collected a ton of ferns and moss and built a huge pile of them.

We spent only one night out there and then hiked back out the next day.  Everyone had lots of fun!