Camping with Dad

At the very beginning of June, Tanner and Levi decided to take the older kids on a camping trip. Initially they were thinking of backpacking in somewhere but little ol' pessimistic me put the kabash on that real quick. This would be Tanner's first real hike since his surgery and the forecast looked like rain. It just didn't bode well for them. So they decided to pick a drive in camp site and try out some hikes. 

 All chipper and ready to go!

The first night they stopped at Seneca Rock. They went on a little hike to get warmed up for the next day. That night they told ghost stories and all slept great. 

 Seneca Rock

The next morning they woke up early and headed out for a hike in Dolly Sods. They knew there would be rain by the late afternoon but planned on being back to the car by the time the rain came. Tanner is notorious for picking "short" hikes that end up double or sometimes even triple the length he says they will be. Apparently this hike was no different. 

 There was a lot of mud

 A LOT of mud. The first time Chet sank to his knees he was thrilled, but the enthusiasm definitely waned as the day went on. 

 They stumbled on this little fawn which they told me about first thing when they got home. And that was about when everything went downhill. At some point they realized that they were lost and after a lot of searching and a group prayer they were finally able to find the trail again. But because of the delay they then had to deal with an epic thunderstorm. Thunder and lightening were crashing all around them, there was a small river of water running down the trail and at some points all three of the children were crying hysterically. They even had a man come out from his campsite barefoot, shirtless, and with an umbrella to offer his fire "to lift their spirits". Which was very nice of him. But Tanner and Levi knew they needed to get back to the car before the sun went down.  

Mariah and Chet wore their Amazon rain jackets which have always worked for little walks in the rain. But not so effective in the deluge they trudged through. They were soaking wet and cold by the time they got back to the car. Their "little hike" ended up being eleven miles. Just a little jaunt in the woods, complete with traumatizing storm.

After they had made it back to the car. Just look at the pride on their faces. "We almost were lost in the mountains, we had to ford swollen rivers with children on our backs, we're cold and wet; but we did it. When should we do it again? " I would have been bawling by that point, or maybe just been super mad; I vacillate between the two. 

That night when they finally got home Mariah grabbed onto me and hugged me so tightly. I just figured she had really missed me. But then as I tucked Chet into bed still covered in mud, it was midnight by that point, he said, "Mom, we cried a lot and we prayed a lot." And then when I saw the sheepish grin on Tanner's face as he laid crippled on the floor, I knew that it wasn't your average camping/hiking adventure. It wasn't until Tanner told me about their day that I understood Mariah's clinging hug...poor thing. 

While an experience like that may have ruined most children on the great outdoors, Mariah, Chet and Charlie are not like most children. After they had recovered from sore muscles, blisters and trauma  they were ready to be out in the mountains again. Maybe I'll pick out the hikes from now on.