Pine Valley

I'm still catching up from our summer vacation. Nearly done.

Backpacking to Mill Flat was on my list of things to do this summer. I wasn't exactly sure how we would get us and our stuff 5 miles up a mountain, but I didn't really care. It actually went quite smoothly, mainly because Tanner and my parents decided to come as well. Max was so tough and made it up completely on his own. I got to hear lots of memories from Tyler about how he used to do this hike with his family. It's funny, both our families hiked Mill Flat lots of times, but we did it in two very different ways.

Tyler insisted that Max had a walking stick (that's the way they always did it). Max loved it, but it made him go incredibly slow. He forgot it after a break and his pace increased twofold.

Someday I hope to look good enough to be in a family picture. For now it will have to be this trio of terror.

Tanner and Max right in the middle of breaking the water filter. Notice my coat on Max, the person who packed the car forgot to bring Max's little backpack full of his clothes. He was a dirty little boy by the time we got home.

I actually started out with Tessa, but she ended up being the hardest to carry. Those Kelty backpacks were not meant to be nice on your back. Notice how far forward Tyler has to lean. I was practically at a 90 degree angle. However, we are in complete debt to Annaca for letting us borrow it.

So he made it up completely on his own, but on the way back we were in a bit of a hurry so Max took turns riding on the guys' shoulders. He was quite magical, because whoever was carrying him ended up doubling their pace for some reason. I had to run to keep up (an awkward picture: me bent in half carrying Tessa and trying to run "smoothly" so she didn't suffer brain damage from all the bouncing.)

I looked even worse when Tessa fell asleep and I tried to keep the bouncing to an absolute minimum. Her nap didn't last long.