Niece Camping 2022 - Part 4

Now, before we went to sleep the night before, I had talked to her about the next morning. While we certainly could have a late morning, I reminded her that the sooner we got moving in the morning, the sooner we’d be back into cell service range. She agreed to try and leave camp by 9 in the morning. 

That worked for me. I was up around 7, even without an alarm to wake me, and I started by making up some hot tea for us, and then breakfast. Turns out, she doesn’t like the protein bars that I had for breakfast, nor the Spam, so we had to improvise a bit with her breakfast, with her trying a couple different bars and rejecting them. I guess next time I should provide the menu and have her cross off stuff she won’t eat. 

But we did manage to get going and headed out of camp by 9:16 am. I was happy with that departure. We would be hiking in much cooler weather than the day before, and get a lot more shade. Unfortunately for her, the river had not miraculously gone down overnight, so it was back to the high road for us. By taking it nice and slow, we were able to make it up to the high point without too much difficulty and it was mostly downhill from there. I was proud of her for making it up the hard climb, especially considering that she normally lives at 500 feet above sea level, and here she’s hiking at around 5800 feet. And we encountered a snake in torpor draped across the trail, which we delicately stepped over. The snake flicked its tongue at us but didn’t move. She liked it!

After we got down from the high road, we passed a group heading to the hot springs. One man had a child carrier pack, complete with sleeping toddler, so she got to see how some people take their littles out on hikes. Some of the people we passed were dressed differently than we were, with tank tops and shorts, but I’m a big believer in wearing synthetics, long sleeved and long panted, for protection out there. It can get hot, but I like the protection afforded, both from the sun and from random branches and brambles trying to scratch me up. I think my niece would have liked to wear something a bit more fashionable, but I’m all about function when it comes to backpacking clothes. 

After the hill, the going was pretty easy. Some ups and downs, but nothing that we couldn’t handle with ease. I was happy that she had made it through the night, and I believe she was happy to get closer to cell service so she could get back in touch with her friends. When we got to close to the campsite, she asked if we could go over to where we had left our art rocks the day before and see if they were still there. Since no one else had claimed the campsite, we hiked on through it to find that our little art gallery remained undisturbed overnight. 

Then it was time to pack up the car and drive off. Now, when Ambrose first brought me out to Skillern for my first backpacking trip, he didn’t tell me about the roadside hot spring on the way home. It was a complete and total surprise to me. For my niece, I felt like a little advance warning was in order, so she’d know why I wasn’t going to change into cleaner clothes right when we got to the car – and why she shouldn’t either. So she knew we were coming up on a hot spring bath, but I think she was still surprised to actually see it. It’s a neat little hot spring. You pull over on the side of the road, then walk about 15 feet on a path and poof! There’s a hot spring, just big enough for 2 if you’re okay with being cozy. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get in at first, so I went first and got myself all rinsed off. The day was warm by then, so I wasn’t inclined to stay long in the hot water. After I got out, she took a quick turn and we both got cleaner clothes on for the remainder of the drive home. 

We stopped in Fairfield to get milkshakes and onion rings. And by that time, we had cell service again, though not very many bars. Not enough bars to stream music, but enough bars to get her back in touch with her friends, which was good. We listened to another musical she had downloaded, 36 Questions, which I am now in love with. Then we listened to one of my albums, Ben Folds' Way to Normal. And, once we got closer to Mountain Home, she got enough signal to stream and we started listening to the Heathers musical. I’d heard they were making Heathers into a musical, but I hadn’t been really interested in listening to it. I’m really glad she shared it with me, because it was quite fun, mostly following the plot of the movie, which is one I enjoy. 

Back in Boise, I got us checked in to our new hotel, much closer to downtown and much nicer. We spent some time at the hotel pool, even though it was just a kiddie pool and a hot tub. Then it was time to figure out some dinner, and I wanted to show her Freak Alley. When we got in the elevator to go to Freak Alley and find food, I noticed a Boise events flyer hanging up. It advertised the musical Dear Evan Hansen, which was another one she likes a lot. In fact, she loves that musical, but hadn’t had a chance to see the show because she didn’t get into it until after the Chicago run had ended. And now, here was her chance! I told her to look up tickets and we’ll see, but I was honestly feeling a bit cranky. Or perhaps hangry. So we walked to Freak Alley, which she thought was very cool, and then picked a place to eat. 

She had found $6 tickets for decent seats in the mezzanine, and, after some trials and tribulations figuring out how this particular ticket vendor worked, we got them. The total for both of us was less than $20, and all we had to do was get over to the Morrison Center before the 6:30 showtime – the final show of the run! Needless to say, we were a bit impatient at the restaurant, but we got some food in us and were able to make it to the show. I had read reviews of the Dear Evan Hansen movie and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. But my niece was correct in saying the show was a cry-fest and wonderful. 

And while that was definitely a high note of the trip, we also had a low note. The airline had moved her flight. I specifically got her an afternoon flight when I bought the tickets months ago. I knew I didn’t want to have to get a teenager up early to catch a flight, so 3:40 seemed ideal. Yeah, no. They changed her departure to 10:30 AM. I was not happy, and I apologized, but the fact of the matter was we needed to get up around 7 in the morning. Bah! 

While it was difficult for her, she was a trooper and we got to the airport in plenty of time to figure out how to get me a pass to escort her to the gate AND to visit the arcade past security. When we were waiting for her flight to board, she spotted a cat in a carrier. The woman escorting the cat thought we were looking at her because we wanted to sit. We did want to sit, but we were more interested in the kitty. The kitty’s name was Garbanzo, and he was a sphynx cat being flown out to his new home. She let us pet him, too. I thought hairless cats would feel weird, but, as she said, he felt like a warm peach. If I’m ever in the market for a hairless cat, I’ll definitely be reaching out to this lady. 

Then, before too long, it was time for her to board. I saw her through the gate and then hustled upstairs so I could get a picture of her boarding. At the Boise airport, some gates have outdoor ramps for boarding and this was one of them. So I got one last picture of her and then waited until the plane was in the air before taking myself home to my husband. Next year, it’s her sister’s turn. 

A birdie pooped on our tent!

Mushroom!

Steamy hot springs in the morning cool.

Making our way back.

Gotta climb that high road again!

Slow and steady does the trick, with plenty of rest breaks.

Hello snek!

Views like this are a good reason to take the high road.

Plus we saw this chipmunk hanging out on a rock.

Crossing Poison Creek.

Back on to the flats, what a relief!

Getting close to the trailhead.

I can see the pit toilet!

Our art gallery survived the night.

Ready for Dear Evan Hansen to start.

There goes her plane, headed off to Chicago.

Niece Camping 2022 - Part 3

The next morning was a bit more leisurely than I wanted. But I more wanted the experience to be a positive one for her, so I didn’t start nagging her to get out of bed until about 11 am. I really wanted to eat lunch on the trail, because eating lunch at the campsite would tend to keep us there longer instead of getting us on the move to the night’s campsite at Skillern Creek. Still, I’d been up since 7, making breakfast for myself and her (she did not end up liking the breakfast burrito of leftover rice, spam and eggs, but I liked mine), as well as coffee for me and tea for her. The tea ended up being dumped, but it was all good. Once I got her moving, her inertia kept her moving until we were well on our way. 

We stopped not too far in, just before Barlow Creek, to make lunch in the shade by the river. This was the first dehydrated backpacking meal, and I just hoped that she would be able to eat it. Thank goodness for Backpacker’s Pantry Three Cheese Mac and Cheese! It was a hit, though she thought the spices made it taste like meat. It took me a bit to get used to the pepper in this particular mac and cheese, but I’ve come to love it for rehydrating into gooey cheese. And the noodles are small and thin enough that they don’t end up crunchy, which I’ve experienced with Mountain House mac and cheese. We filled up her water bottle at this stop, and then kept on hiking up the trail. 

Before too long, we came to the junction. To the left is the high road, climbing up and over the river. To the right, the low road, which requires four separate fords of the river. She would have preferred that we take the low road and avoid hiking uphill. I would have preferred doing one on the way out and the other on the way back. But when we went to check out the low road, I had to make the call. The water was simply too high and fast for us to safely cross. 

Now, if it had been Ambrose and I, I might have gone with that crossing. Heck, even if Ambrose had been there at all I might have let her do it. But the safest way to cross that kind of water is a tandem crossing. In a tandem crossing, the larger person is the anchor and walks on the upstream side. I was not going to try and teach her how to tandem cross when she would have to be the anchor. That did not sound safe to me. I mean, even the motorcycles were taking the high road, though that may have had more to do with the large log wedged across the low road just before the first ford. A couple with two dogs hiked up on us while we looked at the water, and I wondered if they would make the ford or follow us. 

While I wasn’t going to take her on the low road, I did climb over the log to get our hats wet, which would make the uphill climb a bit more bearable. I did warn her that her hat would dry out pretty quickly, but at least it shaded her face pretty well. Normally, I’ll do just about anything to avoid hiking between noon and 3 pm. I get up super early most backpacking days to try and get as much hiking as possible done before the heat of the day comes on. But I was okay with my decision to let the teen sleep in a bit, or just lay there and relax, whatever she was actually doing. This trip was supposed to be about having fun with new experiences, not being forced to get up early just so I could hike when I’m most comfortable. But I did tell her about how it’s nicer to hike early in the day. 

We climbed up the first bit to the junction with Poison Creek with relative ease. There was a guy sitting at the side of the trail in the shade. We exchanged greetings and he asked if we were going to the hot springs. I said that we were and he replied, with a tinge of defeat in his voice, “Do you know where they are?” I assured him that we did. I mean, I did at least. From his voice, I figured he hadn’t known exactly how to get there and his party may or may not have made it. As my niece and I hiked on, I got to demonstrate to her how to let people pass on a narrow trail, by putting one foot off the trail on the uphill side and leaning over so the pack is no longer impinging on the path. We got to let two small groups by in that manner, which served as a good distraction from the uphill hiking still to come. 

With a few breaks for water and catching breath, we made it to the top out. Now my niece got to learn how to hike downhill safely. There were sections of this particular trail where we could kind of put our heels down first, which helped prevent sliding on the very loose rocky surface. It was hard for her to get a hang of, and we needed to go slowly so that she wouldn’t fall. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with an injury out there, so I took it nice and slow. Behind us, I could see the couple with the dogs coming down. They’d taken the high road too, which made sense to me. Even if the people might have been able to do the ford, it would have been dangerous for the doggies. 

My niece and I took a break at the junction, in some shade, and when the couple passed by I asked where they were headed. Turns out, they were also going to the Skillern Hot Springs, so I told them we’d see them later. They seemed a little disappointed, but they mentioned that it’s a big site. And it is, there’s room for two or three separate camps. I just hoped they’d take the one closer to the trail, because I like the one in back best. But they’d get first pick, so I’d just have to wait and see. 

After a bit, we hiked on. I assured her that it wasn’t much farther. And we did at least get more shade on this section of the trail, as well as more proximity to the water, though it wasn’t convenient to reach for filtering and she was running low. But I knew we’d be coming up on Skillern Creek very soon, so I pushed for us to keep going rather than refill. Before we got to the creek, I felt a rumble in my tummy and dug out an energy bar. I tore it in half and gave half to her with an order to eat up. It’s important to not let yourself get too hungry on the trail, because it’s harder to make up a deficit than to stay on a relatively even keel when it comes to food, water and warmth. 

In next to no time, we made it to the creek. I led her across a combination of logs and rocks to get to the far side and then we dumped our packs to the ground and set about getting more water. To help her understand that the campsite was very close, I carried my half full dirty water bag in my hand instead of emptying it and putting it up. From the creek, it’s just a short length of trail with a tiny bit of uphill before the campsite reveals itself, spreading out in the space between Skillern Creek and the foothills of Skillern Peak. 

To my delight, the couple and their dogs had chosen the spot closer to the trail, so I made a beeline for the back campsite so we could claim it before anyone else arrived. We didn’t set up camp right away. Instead, we snacked and chatted and figured out when to go to the hot springs. I also finished up what was in my water bladder and got it refilling, which she helped me with by finding a nice high nail to hang the dirty water bag from. Then I got to cooking our first of two Chicken Alfredo dinners so we could have one before and one after the hot springs. As we waited for it to finish rehydrating, I showed her how the backpacking tent is erected, being extra careful with the rock I used to pound in stakes. I definitely didn’t want to have to do first aid on myself again because I pounded my finger between a rock and a stake! 

Normally, I’d make sure the tent was made up inside as well before going anywhere, but this time I went with the flow. We just put our stuff inside the tent and then got changed and headed over. 

The Skillern Hot Springs are both easy to find and difficult to find. From the trail, there’s a path down to hot water springing out of the hillside. But that’s not really where you want to go. You have to go down, and then traverse across, climbing up some rocks before you come upon the pool. It’s the size of a fairly large hot tub, and on this trip it was in very good repair, with a line of sandbags keeping the water level nice and high. What I love about it is that the rocks from above overhang and shelter the pool so it feels like you’re out there completely alone. The river runs below and the hot water falls from above. It’s idyllic. 

The water temperature was good. Hotter than it had been September 2020, for which I was glad. While my friend liked that cooler temperature on that trip, I prefer it a bit hotter, and I got my preference on this trip. My niece thought the temp was good, but we both got a bit hot in it. I found a place where cool water was trickling down the rocks and showed it to her. We spent some time just hanging out in the water, watching the river and the few clouds that made an appearance overhead. 

Eventually, the heat was too much, and we retreated out of the water to cool off and head back. I was glad that there weren’t a lot of bugs there to bother us. Some years, I’ve gotten horse flies attacking as soon as I get out of the water, but they weren’t around this time. Thank goodness! 

She had wanted to know what the temperature of the water would be like where the hot springs met the river, so we checked that area out on our way back. The answer, basically, is half freezing cold and half boiling; the water temperature doesn’t blend very well right at the intersection of hot springs and river. Then we made our way back to camp and finished making up our beds for the night. I assured her that the air mattress she’d be sleeping on this night was much warmer than the one in the big tent, because it has insulation inside of it. Between the better sleeping pads and a warmer forecast (which surprised me because we were at a higher elevation), I was sure we’d be warm for this night. 

We decided to include more water in the Chicken Alfredo for the second bag. The first one was delicious, but they do have a tendency to have crunchy bits of chicken. More water helps, but there was still some crunch to the chicken. And then we also had a dessert to eat, a chocolate mudslide that I liked and she tolerated. The sun disappeared more quickly from this position, but it didn’t get truly dark until much later. 

As we were in the tent, I showed her pictures on my camera from past trips, cute things like flowers and animals mostly. Before it got fully dark, we went out for a last pee break before bed. That way she wouldn’t have to wake me up for company if she needed to go in the night. I usually have to get up and go at least once in the night, but I’m used to sleeping out in the kind of darkness you can’t get within hundreds of miles of Chicago. 

Before we fell asleep, but after it was fully dark out, I got us both out of the tent to look at the stars. That was one goal that I had for this trip, to show her what the stars look like when you have zero light pollution to interfere. The sky didn’t disappoint, displaying a myriad of stars, a bit of galaxy shading, some satellites, and a plane or two. The moon wasn’t going to rise until early morning, so we got the full show. We stood out there for quite some time, just looking. But I got a crick in my neck and started to get cold, so I called it and we went back into the tent for the night. 

I got us packed up while she slept in.

The sun was shining on our campsite.

I wanted to share this deer with her, but it disappeared too quickly.

I was quite proud of this breakfast burrito. 

We managed to set off from camp before noon. 

Some flowers along the trail.

Moving along the trail.

Time to pick, high road or low road.

No way we're fording that high water!

So we gotta take the high road.

Which does offer some great views, to be fair.

More shade after the high road.

We have arrived!

The hot springs don't look like much, unless you know where to go.

A nice reinforced ledge kept the pool's water level high.

Plenty of room to hang out in the hot spring.

I know I had a great time ;)

Last time I saw this, it was just a tub, but someone has gone to the trouble of wilding it. I like it.

A nice little camping spot. 

Niece Camping 2022 - Part 2

I woke up before the sun crested the ridgeline. I had to get up and go to the bathroom, but I didn't wake my niece until the sun started coming into view and things were warmer. Once she was up, the first thing she told me was that I’d stolen Stinky and she was cold. From my perspective, she was the one who had stolen Stinky! So we got that sorted out, that we’re both kind of cover hogs and I said I’d be policing Stinky the next night so neither of us got too cold. 

We had a leisurely morning, by my standards, and I tried to figure out what she’d eat for breakfast. When I had asked her a few months before if there were any foods she wouldn’t eat, she said no. But that turned out to be not quite true. See, she likes eggs, but only in certain ways, like egg in the hole or French toast. Just a regular egg was not something she’d eat. That threw my meal planning into disarray and we picked up some peanut butter at the grocery store to supplement her breakfast. I made myself scrambled eggs in a tortilla and her a tortilla with peanut butter and another tortilla with cookie butter. We got the car all packed up and headed off to the next campsite, Canyon Transfer Camp. 

She wanted to know how long the drive would be, but I wasn’t really sure. I’ve only taken that route once since they rebuilt the road. I explained to her that the road washed out and was closed for several years, which was a novel idea for her. How could a road be left closed for years? 

We finished listening to the Hamilton musical we had started the day before on that part of the drive, and I only made her a little nervous that I might run us off the one lane road and into the river. I was expecting a comment about the road at that point, because I know that in the Crosstrek the edge of the road can look awfully close from the passenger side, even if it’s still well in the safe zone. I had thought about warning her, but decided best not to call attention to it. She only brought it up once, so I guess I must have been driving pretty well. 

I got to play a bit of my music for her as we approached the general store that opened in the last few years close to the Canyon Transfer Camp. We stopped at the store to pick up a few more snacks. I did draw the line at getting a tub of frosting, but we got some chips and squeezy cheese to supplement our food stocks. Then we arrived at the night’s campground. I was happy to see it was not very occupied. Pretty much just one group site on the far side of the campgrounds was occupied. We had the camping area near the trailhead all to ourselves. 

Once we’d selected a campsite, we walked over to the board to pay. It was a new experience for her to be at a campsite that didn’t have a host or anyone really checking on whether people pay. I mean, the forest service does check, but we probably could have gotten away without paying. I just wouldn’t do that, because I like these campgrounds and I want to support their continued existence. I also showed her the pump where we’d be refilling the water bin. I recently purchased a reusable water container. Ambrose and I used to just buy the gallon or 2.5 gallon jugs of water at the grocery store, but it makes a lot more sense for us to get a reusable one and just reuse it. The water in there had lasted for our first full day, and so it was perfect timing to refill at the pump. 

But first, it was time to set up camp. We got the chairs into the shade and then ate some lunch. After that came the tent, which was also partly shaded. We had a nice spot within a little alcove of trees. Not perfectly shady, but cool, especially with the sound of the river flowing nearby. 

Since we were both a bit cold that first night, and the forecast from my satellite communicator indicated it would be yet colder tonight, we decided the rainfly should go up. It would help us stay warmer in the night, but I didn’t put it up right away because we wanted to stay cooler through the heat of the day. 

I was reluctant to allow eating in the tent, because food in the tent can draw the attention of critters who might chew through it to get a meal. But eventually I conceded and my niece was much neater eating inside the tent than outside. Fair enough. We watched a movie she had downloaded onto her phone, and then played some games to pass the time. Near dinner time, she wanted to do something, so we walked around the campsite looking for something to do. I spied some charcoal by the fire pit and suggested drawing, because I know she’s good at that. She grabbed the charcoal and did a drawing of mountains that I quite liked. Then she suggested we walk around and try to find natural items to make pigments out of so we could art even harder. 

We walked around the campsite, picking up various flowers and grasses and dirts to experiment with. She also brought out her loaner knife at one point to cut some sage to bring home. Once we had some supplies to test with, she started experimenting with mixing pigments while I prepared dinner – this time with the proper water to rice ratio. Then I got to eating because I was hungry, and only after I had sated myself a bit did I start to play with the art. We each had large, flat rocks as canvases. I went abstract, because I am not a very good artist, while she made some really pretty drawings. Then we put them together in a little gallery and took pictures. I wonder if they’re still there now or if some new camper has come and done something with them. . . 

We lost the sun behind a ridge fairly early and retreated to the tent, now with rainfly up and everything zipped tight. I tried to teach her how to crochet and she tried to teach me how to knit. The problem with the knitting was that we had to use reversed crochet needles instead of knitting needles, which was tricky. And the problem with crocheting was that I’m not a very good teacher when it comes to trying to explain something that I know in my hands but not visually. I wasn’t sure how to explain it, and I wasn’t able to really get a hang of knitting either. But the yarn I brought did not completely go to waste, because she did use a length of it to wrap her sage harvest. The purple, velvety yarn looked very nice against the silvery green of the sage.

I also tried to show her how to play cat’s cradle, but I couldn’t quite remember how to do it. So we played games on the cell phone a bit, listened to some music, and eventually just talked as it grew dark enough outside for her to fall asleep. 

I enjoyed my eggs.

A nice, relaxed camp setup.

I can't get enough of the scenery here. 

A nice place to set up a tent at Canyon Transfer Camp.

The Bustamante Gallery.

Now with behind the scenes materials. 

My niece enjoyed watching the prairie dogs play.

The sun disappeared sooner at this campsite.

I don't often get pictures of small birds, but this robin posed for me nicely.

Niece Camping 2022 - Part 1

Over the last winter, I decided to invite my oldest niece to spend some time camping in Idaho. I wanted to show her what it’s like out here, and to give her an introduction to backpacking as well. Now that I’ve discovered backpacking, I wish that I’d known about it sooner, so I figured it would be good to introduce her to it as a teen. 

My original plan had her flying in and then getting driven out that same day, but her dad preferred that she be on a direct flight, so I changed it to having her come in the day before I had originally planned. For that first night, I booked us a room at a hotel, and another hotel night would come on our last night in town before she flew out in the afternoon. 

So, she flew in on Wednesday night, and I brought her over to the hotel. I had chosen it based on price, and I regretted it once I saw the actual location. I thought it would be run down but nice. It was rundown and not very nice. Survivable, yes, but I decided that night to cancel the second night I’d reserved and rebook in a different hotel, more expensive if necessary, for Sunday night. We went out to get some food and stopped by my apartment afterwards. I did want her to see why we weren’t going to be staying at my place, and I also needed to pick up a loaner shirt for her so she would have a synthetic shirt for the backpacking portion of the trip. Ambrose and I are very serious about safety in the woods, and that means no wearing cotton! 

Neither of us slept very well at the hotel, but we got through the night and got up with enough time to get breakfast at The Griddle before going to Boise State for a college tour. Yes, she’s just a rising freshman, but I think it’s never too early to start seeing yourself at college. I know her dad wants her to go to college, so I thought it would be good for her to take the tour and learn a bit more about what college could be like. Being a fourteen year old, she protested a bit, but went along, which was all I asked. She even seemed to enjoy the tour a bit, especially as it was ending, even though the shoes she wore were getting uncomfortable. I may have undersold the size of the campus to her… 

After that, we had one more task before us. She had flown out with acrylic nails that she’d gotten to celebrate 8th grade graduation, and we needed to get those off before going into the woods. I had to call around to a few places, but I finally found a place with an opening early in the afternoon. We headed over, after a stop at a grocery store for some necessities (like a phone charger). We got lunch at a nearby deli and then got her nails off. 

Then it was time. Into the woods we went. 

I warned her that we’d be running out of cell service at some point, but I wasn’t sure when exactly. It depends a lot on which carrier you have and she’s got a different one than I do. But I knew that it would run out, if not right after Mountain Home, then before Pine and Featherville for sure. Luckily, she did have downloaded music to share, so I got to listen to Hamilton for the first time. I wasn’t sure that I’d enjoy it, because I don’t tend to listen to musicals very much, but I absolutely enjoyed it. It was a lot longer than I expected, and we didn't even finish by the time we got to the first night’s camp at the Willow Creek Transfer Camp outside of Featherville. 

I chose the route that I did, taking 84 to 20 to the Pine/Featherville Highway, so that she would be gradually eased into the woods. An interstate, then a highway, then a much narrower, but still paved road, then the dirt road. I was a little concerned when we reached the turn off for Willow Creek, because someone had put a sign up about a family reunion and I worried the site would be full or crowded. Then I saw that the main Willow Creek campground, which was not where we planned to stay, was closed for renovations. That might push more people to the transfer camp where I did want to stay. 

But luck was with us; the family reunion looked to have claimed some spots outside of the formal transfer camp, and only one other group was at the transfer camp itself. We claimed a spot and started working on getting the tent and chairs out and ready. She helped unload and with getting the tent up. Then, to take a break, I acceded to her desire to go swimming. There was a nice little bend of Willow Creek that offered safe water, and she changed into sandals and swimsuit. I decided to just use my underwear, because I was pretty sure that we wouldn’t be spending much time in the water. I know Idaho water, and it is freezing cold. It’s full of snowmelt and runs from high elevation mountain springs. But that’s something you’ve got to experience for yourself to truly appreciate, so down to the creek we went. 

The sun was nice and hot, so I wasn’t worried about us getting too cold. I stripped down and used a log to get myself over to the water, immersing my legs, but not going any lower. The chill of the water turned my legs red almost immediately. My niece entered the water and exclaimed at the temperature. We did NOT end up staying in that water for very long. 

After that we finished getting the tent ready by pumping up the air mattress and getting the blankets inside for insulation. I decided to leave the rainfly off for the night so we could see stars through the mesh. I also introduced her to the down blanket that has kept Ambrose and I warm many a night, Stinky. Stinky lives up to its name, but at least the smell is more like dirt than anything disgusting. And it does a great job of supplementing the sleeping quilts and keeping body heat in. And to think, Ambrose wanted to throw it away at one point! 

I made dinner for us, putting too much water in the rice, but it worked out okay. I keep forgetting that Minute Rice has a 1 to 1 ratio of rice to water, so I did 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. But having a bit more water in one’s food is not a bad thing when out in the woods. Staying hydrated is important. 

We watched some download episodes of Unsolved Mysteries during dinner. Once we retreated to the tents, we played some games while waiting for it to get dark outside, since it’s easier for her to sleep when it’s dark. We played some drawing games, singing games, hand clap games and cell phone games (those that didn’t require internet since there was definitely no service where we were staying). I did communicate to Ambrose and to her dad via a satellite communicator, but it was limited to text. 

When it got dark at long last, we talked some, and eventually dropped off to sleep. In the night, both of us took turns stealing Stinky. . . 

Willow Creek Transfer Camp got a new pit toilet, fancy!

What a view from the tent.