The Adventure That Almost Wasn’t

Yes, it’s been a while since we’ve posted, and yes, this is about an older trip, but that’s how it works when you have 2 kids and get out adventuring on the weekends, instead of writing blogs. J

We always look forward to the first backpacking trip of the season, perhaps more than any other backpacking trip of year.  Our first backpacking trip of 2015 had a unique challenge in that Yadéeh was 16 weeks pregnant. This alone was not much of an issue, since we backpacked Glacier National Park at the same point when she was pregnant with Atlas. While we are experienced backpacking while pregnant, and experienced backpacking with a child, we had never backpacked while pregnant and with a child and his gear.  Luckily, as you’ve probably come to find, Justin is a gunner and takes this challenge head on, and, Yadéeh wasn’t so pregnant that she couldn’t still carry a backpacking backpack (that was later in the season, and yes, we still went backpacking then, too). As usual, our first trip of the season was over Memorial Day weekend, so we could take full advantage of the long weekend to drive a bit further to the Gila National Forest.

            Since the drive to anywhere in the Gila is quite long, we decided to get a head start on Friday night. We drove our bus, the Darkside, so that car camping the first night would be comfortable, and the long drive more manageable with Atlas and three dogs. In addition to our two dogs, we were dog sitting a friend’s dog, so she came along for the adventure as well.  We left Albuquerque after work on Friday and drove to the Water Canyon campground. Staying here for the night helped break up, what we thought would be, the 5.5 hour drive to the Aeroplane Mesa trail head in the Gila. Oh how wrong we were about the amount of time it would take…potential disaster #1. We studied the maps and possible routes to the trailhead before we left home. However, we re-examined the maps at camp that first night and decided on what looked like a much shorter route. Word of advice: shorter is not always better.  We failed to consider that the shorter route involved a “rustic” forest road.

            When we turned off the paved road on to the dirt road that would eventually lead to the trailhead, we felt confident in the quality of it, and the ability for the Darkside to make it. Atlas always loves when we get on to the dirt roads because we let him drive, and he can move about a bit more, without the constraints of the car seat, as long as it is a clear day and good road conditions with light traffic. We felt good about this decision. Along the way we saw more pronghorn antelope than we could count! As we continued along the road, we were stopped by a herd of cattle that were being guided across the road by a team of ranchers.

            This was great to watch. None of us had seen ranchers herd their cattle to a new location before. Watching them chase after the rogue cows was very entertaining, and both Atlas and all three dogs got a huge kick out of the entire process. The entire ordeal tacked on about 30 minutes to our drive. We continued on our way, into the Gila Wilderness, which translated in to less traveled roads, which became increasingly rocky and steep. About 20 miles past the last ranch or signs of other humans, we started up a single lane, fairly steep grade and the Darkside just turned off! Yup, it just shut down without warning! And so started Murphy’s law.

Since the Darkside wouldn’t start up right away, Justin took a walk up the road to see what he could see from the top of the hill. A sign told us that it was 15 miles to Snow Lake. Worst case scenario, Justin could leave Yadéeh and Atlas with the dogs and hoof it all the way there to get help. Luckily, after letting the Dark Side rest for a bit, it started back up, but was a bit doggy and lost power up hills. We finally made it to the campground at the trailhead! Unfortunately, it was after 4pm, which is way too late to start a backpacking trip of about 3 miles in, with a 3-year-old who didn’t nap, and a pregnant woman.

            So, car camping that night it is. Our main challenge was water. We only had 1 5-gallon jug with us for 3 dogs and 3 people.  This was our only water stash because we were planning on filtering our water from the Gila River after backpacking to our originally intended campsite. There was a pond, but it was not reassuring as an option. And, it was time to use some of that water to cook dinner…on a camp stove which would not connect to the gas can because it was stripped. Luck was on our side yet again; while we had the misfortune of a broken camp stove, we were fortunate that we also brought our backpacking stove. Again, Murphy’s law hit us. The flow of the fuel through the backpacking stove left much to be desired, and would be something to worry about for the following night’s backpacking trip. But, one thing at a time, dinner now, stove issues later. It’s easier to stay positive with food in your belly.

            The following morning, we filled up our bladders with the rest of the water and hit the trail. About 1.5 miles in, Yadéeh rolled her ankle. Not the best way to start a hike! And, like before, luck had it that after limping for a few hundred feet, it felt ok to continue, rather than turn back. When we stopped for a snack, and to re-apply sunscreen…where’s the sunscreen?? Why, back at the bus, of course! Sunscreen chapstick applied to the face it is! Onward and upward (or downward as the case may be). Off in the distance we were lucky enough to see a herd of elk enjoying a mid-morning snack, as we began to wonder when we might see the Gila River, given that our water supply was critically low. 

            Justin was the first to the cliffs edge, and the first to NOT see the river?! Are you serious?! It can’t be dry, it’s the Gila River! Oh…that was only a feeder stream that was dry…there’s the river, and it’s running! Disaster averted. However, it was in a canyon hundreds of feet below us. Thirsty, so thirsty. But, we made it eventually. Yadéeh soaked her ankle to help keep the swelling down, since resting it made it tight. Now, to find a campsite. To do so, Atlas crossed his first river, all on his own. Such a proud parental moment for a backpacking couple.

Once at camp, what was the first thing Atlas decided to climb on? Yup, a blackened, charred log. Our first reaction was to tell him to stay off it, but for what purpose? Screw that! Get dirty, have fun, be a kid. Seeing kids out in the wild, just being kids, playing, and not needing material possessions to do so is one of the best experiences in the world. Atlas found a stick that became his horse. Worried that the dogs would chew on it at night, he hid it from them at our tent.

            Dinner take-two was a success, although it took a bit longer than it should have to heat the water. Then, off to bed. In the morning, Justin filled Yadéeh in about his night. You thought Murphy’s law finally gave us a break? Ha! Think again. The air mattress had a leak, so he slept directly on the ground most of the night. That on its own wouldn’t have been too bad, if there wasn’t a stick across his back the whole night. We had no idea how this was possible, since we are usually good about clearing our tent area before pitching it. Justin reached under the tent and pulled out…are you ready for it…Atlas’s “horse”, of course!

            The rest of the trip was uneventful, relatively speaking. Yadéeh’s ankle felt much better, and Atlas did great getting back up the steep hill. He would find rocks as paint pallets, pine needles as paint, and pretend to paint Yadéeh as they slowly brought up the rear, like the Little Engine’s that could, all the way up the hill. We drove home the ‘long way,’ which was SO much easier and faster. And, stopped in Pie Town for a piece of pie, because that’s what you do when you’re in Pie Town.

            Each of the blunders could have put a damper on our mood or motivation, but what good would that do? And, when you have a kid to keep happy, a positive attitude is essential. Now we have a great story to tell anyone who will listen.  There were so many things that could have resulted in us bailing on the trip, but none of them brought us down. Laugh, love, live. That is the key to a great time, no matter what obstacles you encounter! 

Backpacking with Kids of All Ages

Backpacking with Kids of All Ages

After reading “How to Backpack with Toddlers,” an article posed by Thermarest, and a similar-themed article by Backpack Magazine, we were inspired to take it a step further, building upon some of the points they discussed.  Below are some of our insights, gained through trial and error that would have been good to know from the get-go.

1. The Gear List: Space is just as important as weight when picking out gear for yourself and a youngster, if not more so.  This is because space tends to be more constraining than one’s capacity to carry weight.  For example, if you only have 60 liter backpack, you can only really comfortably carry 60 liters (plus whatever crap you can lash or dangle off of the back of your pack).  There is no real tradeoff you can make to change the situation (other than buying a bigger pack).  On the other hand, if you normally do 8 miles in a day with a 40 lb. pack and now it is looking like your pack will be 65 lbs. due to the child’s extra clothes and gear, you can opt to reduce your mileage to only 4 miles.  Your pack is 75 lbs.? Just pack in two miles.  

For example, before kids our go-to eating utensils were ultralight plasticware.  However, now that we must get the peoples’ gear into one backpack, we found that heavier-yet-more-compact eating utensils are more beneficial than our ultralight plasticware.  Similarly, the weight-space tradeoff is apparent in backpack selection as well.   Light packs do not have large carrying capacity and tend to be not as comfortable.  On the other hand, a 110 liter pack may weigh several pounds on its own, but will feel surprisingly comfortable lugging 70 plus pounds up a mountain.  

2. The Journey: Encourage your toddler to walk as much as they can, and resist the urge to simply put him or her the pack.  Accept the fact that hiking 2 miles might take as long as when you hiked 8 miles as newlyweds.  Build in enough time to complete the shortened distance so the toddler gets used to hiking, without the frustrations from any time pressure.  If finding a campsite might be an issue, the person with the heavier pack can run ahead to nail down a camp site and set up camp, while the person with the kid can take it as easy as necessary. 

Let your child go into the pack and back down as he or she requests, but also encourage him or her with positive words and excitement. You may be sacrificing time at camp because it takes longer to get there, but you’re better off in the long run because your kid will enjoy hiking along with you and more quickly build strength and endurance.  This means that you may be able to wean your child off of the kid-carrying backpack much earlier.  The key to this strategy is keeping your toddler engaged while hiking so it’s not just a slog up the hill. For example, point out cool things along the trail, like toad stools, caterpillars or cool rocks.  Toddlers are easily amused, and focusing them on what the next cool thing to see will keep their minds off of the distance and fatigue.

3. The Threads: In general, we find that we pack more for our kid than us, since they will inevitably have an accident. Enough on that subject.

4. The Camp: If in a group, you don’t want the camp fire crowd to wake up the little ones while they are asleep, but you need the tent close enough to hear them if they need you. You also want to be courteous of other campers, whether they are with our group or not. We try to find sites away from other people, or set up our tent away from others in our group, given the natural alpine start of all toddlers. 

5. The Garbage: Accept that you have to ‘pack it out’ regardless of where you go. When at home, we primarily use cloth diapers, but we always backpacked carrying disposable diapers when in the backcountry because of the space, weight, and olfactory issues with cloth.

6. We are toying with the idea of making dehydrated homemade baby food this next time around, but we don’t have much to add to the topic of food at this time.

7. Comfort:  A hammock is a must-have for backpacking with a toddler. They work great for toddlers to play in, as well as a place for family naps, but of course, toddlers should not be left unsupervised playing in them.  A hammock will probably be your only option to not sit on a log or on the ground, so it adds significantly to comfort and morale. By day 3 on a multiday trip, you’re going to wish you brought a hammock (we opted for a 2 person parachute hammock).

8. The Sleeping Pad:  Kids don’t need a full-length sleeping pad.  A ¾ length pad is perfectly-sized for a toddler, it weighs less, and takes up less space.

9. The Sleeping Bag:  Although synthetic is cheaper, known to last longer, and is more durable, the space and weight that comes with synthetic will make it nearly impossible to fit everything into all but perhaps expedition-sized backpacks.  

Also, when selecting a bag, conventional wisdom dictates that you don’t want to get too nice of a bag because manufacturers don’t make technical kids’ stuff.  It turns out that you can find quality lightweight gear for toddlers if you look hard enough.  As discussed in No. 1 above, space and packability is the key to backpacking with a child.  With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you that there is a huge correlation between how much you spend on a bag, and how much it condenses and weighs.

Tip:  If you are concerned that your toddler is still too small for even a child-sized bag, just use the cinch cord from the stuff sack to tie-off the extra space around the bottom portion of the bag.  This will decrease the amount of space in the sleeping bag that the toddler will have to heat up to stay warm.  

10. Packing:  Get the toddler a separate dry sack for their clothes (even if it adds weight, see #1 above), rather than trying to fit it all in to your clothes sack. It is easier to pack a few smaller bags into a backpack than it is to stuff two big bags into your pack, and is more convenient when getting cloths out for bed time. 

11. Entertainment:  Books on a Kindle app or device are great for entertaining your toddler for bedtime stories or when you are tent-bound due to rain. We the Kindle for our own reading, and you can download an entire children’s library for them without adding any weight or space. 

12. Parting Advice: It is never too early to get out there. The younger your children are when they are introduced to the wilderness, the more comfortable backpacking will be for them.  Introducing your children to the outdoors early and often will hopefully increase the odds that they willl enjoy the backcoutry, and even thrive in it. 

Atlas was only 4 months old on our first (2 night) backpacking trip, and that’s only because the weather wasn’t warm enough to safely get out sooner! He did great back then, but we question if we had never taken him out until now (3.5 years old) whether he would love it as much as he does. 

Want to read more about taking your toddler backpacking? Check out THIS article by Backpacker Magazine for more info.

14er – take 2

Although Atlas technically went to the top of a 14er (14 thousand foot peak) when he was in Yadéeh’s belly, we thought it would be fun to see if we could aim for another one, now that he was his own person. Every year for Labor Day, we try to take a big backpacking trip. This year, we wanted to explore more of southern Colorado. Initially, we thought of starting to begin hiking the Colorado Trail in segments. However, after looking into it, the necessary hiking distance each day was a bit much for Yadéeh with a 45 lb pack (when you count a 30 lb Atlas) and a 60 lb pack for Justin (since he had to carry virtually all of the gear for the three of us).

We decided to hike in to Navajo Lake—an alpine lake outside of Telluride in the Lizard Head Wilderness, which is part of the San Juan Mountains. Navajo Lake also happens to be nestled below three 14ers: Mount Wilson, El Diente, and Wilson Peak, as well as one 13er (Gladstone Peak).  There is no shortage of mountains to climb when camping in the Navajo Lake basin.

We arrived at the trailhead and were pleasantly surprised by the relative lack of cars in the parking area, considering it was a trailhead to 14ers on Labor Day weekend.  With clear skies and a nice cool breeze, we were set to hike in perfect weather. Atlas started out riding in the carrier, and even fell asleep for a bit. When he woke up, he decided he wanted to hike. This was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he wants to hike, which is great for both Yadéeh’s comfort and his experience and buildup of endurance and enjoyment of hiking. On the other hand, it means very slow progress, as he picks up rocks, touches EVERY plant of a certain kind, looks for more grasshoppers, etc.  His slow progress wore on Justin because of the difficulty of carrying such a large load at this speed. As a result, Justin hiked ahead with our friend Kenneth, while Yadéeh and Atlas strolled along at Atlas pace until he decided “I just resting” and sat in the middle of the trail.

The views along the way were breathtaking: To the west, we saw Dolores Peak (13,290 ft) jutting above the wildflower-laden alpine meadows through which our trail meandered. After resting, hiking, resting, hiking, resting, Atlas finally wanted to ride in the backpack again. Of course, this was right as the switchbacks were starting up. We don’t know which was slower, Atlas hiking at his pace, or Yadéeh carrying Atlas up the switchbacks. Yadéeh and Atlas eventually made it to camp around the time Justin finished setting up the tent. Justin found a nice site right outside of the actual basin so we could have camp fires and be away from other campers. Star-gazing with no ambient light other than the camp fire, while being serenaded by the sound of a rushing stream and taking in the crisp mountain air never gets old.

Once camp was set up, we took a relaxed stroll over to the lake for a little exploring. Atlas did great hiking around on the scree fields. There were a few “chairs” made up of rocks from the talus field set up to overlook the lake, so we took a seat and relaxed for a bit. That’s when we saw a pika! We hadn’t seen them before, so it was very exciting (at least for Yadéeh…). A challenge you never really think about, when deciding to include your toddler in your adventures is that when both parents want to rest, from a hard days hike, the kid wants to play! Luckily, back at camp, Atlas was able to wonder around with the dogs. That’ll do the trick.

 

Another challenge is keeping your toddler in his sleeping bag throughout the night so he doesn’t freeze. Getting Atlas into his bag at the start of the night is never an issue. It’s keeping him in it that is the problem. We make sure to dress him warm enough in case he gets out of his bag, but even then, it was a cold night. Atlas woke up in the middle of the night fighting to get out and took some time to calm him down enough to get him bundled up again.

With the sun brought the ambition to try for a 14er! Maybe. As we hiked up the steep scree mountain side, the winds started whipping through the basin. Atlas started to get cold, which was not surprising since he has such little body fat and was stationary in the carrier. We stopped for lunch and improvised a way to keep him warm. Yadéeh’s puffy on his legs with his rain pancho to keep out the wind, Justin’s on his upper body, with the pack rain cover for added protection. That made him a happy camper. 

Although, Justin decided it would be best for him and Atlas to descend to basecamp because the wind was turning Atlas’s carrier into a sail, Yadéeh and Kenneth continued to climb out of the basin.  However, they too decided to turn around at about 13,000 feet because the trail forked with each fork being a 3^rd class scramble up a different 14er.  The winds on the way back were much fiercer than before, which meant Justin made the right decision.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Justin saw two marmots playing around on some rocks, while Atlas slept in the carrier. When Atlas heard about sleeping through the marmot siting, he of course wanted to try and find them again. 

Jade and Roscoe (the dogs) couldn’t agree more. They were continuously chasing after the pika and marmots then entire trip. Yadéeh and Kenneth met up with Justin and Atlas down by the lake. On the hike back to camp, Yadéeh and Atlas found raspberries, ripe for the picking, another thing that Atlas was very excited about. We kept our eyes open for more, but had no luck. We did, however, find some great firewood, which Atlas gladly helped carry back to camp, whereupon he began telling Justin and Kenneth how the dogs barked when other hikers passed by. Silly kid.

The remainder of the trip was filled with more of the same, which never gets old. At Atlas’s age (2.5 years old), it is a bit easier for us to set up and break down camp, since Atlas can help, or at least keep himself entertained while we do the work. For example, he used a log to do the yoga airplane pose. 

The hard part is keeping track of him. We may have to invest in a GPS tracker, just to be safe.  Atlas hiked quite a bit of the hike out, again, a slow endeavor, which resulted in us getting home later than desired, but we still let him do his thing. We don’t want Atlas to become frustrated or turned off to hiking and exploring outside, and, kids will be kids. Hopefully, the more he gets used to hiking, the sooner he will be ready to carry some of the weight!

After we got home, Justin did a bit more research on the 14ers in the area. Yes, that is the kind of backwards thinking he is known for.  It turns out that it wouldn’t have been safe to summit any of them anyhow, as they are all technical ascents. Perhaps we’ll find a less technical one as a family hike for next summer.  We will also be back either without Atlas or with him when he is a bit older to tick off those technical routes!  We are already wondering if they make ice axes for toddlers.

Let the Adventures Begin

What better way is there to spend a long 4th of July weekend than backpacking in Colorado and summiting Mt. Elbert, the 2nd tallest peak in the continental US? We began our hike up the switchbacks toward the continental divide trail, where we planned to make basecamp, so that we were away from all of the car campers. While the hike was fairly steep, it was not even close the steepest trail I’ve hiked and I thought I was in pretty good hiking shape.  Despite all of that, not long into the hike I was having a very hard time getting a full breath. I had no idea why this trail was kicking my butt. Eventually, like the little engine that could, I made it to the top at 14,439 ft right as a snowstorm was rolling in...and so did Atlas. As it turns out, I struggled so much because I was about a month pregnant – I just did not know it yet. And so the adventures and challenges with my active lifestyle while pregnant began.

I was determined to not let something like growing a little human being stop me from maintaining my adventurous lifestyle, but I also didn’t want to risk harming my growing baby. I came to terms with the fact that I’d be hanging in the ski lodge for the ski season instead of tearing up black diamonds, especially since Atlas was due February 19^th.  I still wanted to keep hiking, backpacking, climbing, and snowshoeing as much as possible. The hardest part during the first month or two was keeping the pregnancy a secret. For example, how do you justify not climbing when you’ve just hiked a steep 1.5 miles to the crag? Blaming it on little sleep and “just not feelin’ it today” would have to do.

I continued to climb until about 25 weeks pregnant, when the harness just wouldn’t fit right anymore. Lead climbing was out of the question, and after a sketch day (per the norm) multi-pitch trad climbing in the Sandias, it became apparent that multi-pitch trad climbing and the approaches the climbs in the Sandias were probably not a good idea either.

But, that still allowed me to be a top rope tough girl – both at our local climbing gym as well as the local sport climbing crags. 

At 18 weeks pregnant, I started to be fully aware at how few routes I’d be able to climb. We went to Diablo Canyon outside of Santa Fe and really wanted to climb Post Moderate, a 165 foot 5.9 climb. When I reached the mid-point, I had to make a decision: stop here and rappel down, or push it to the top. I went for it and made it! However, that was all I climbed that day, as I was completely exhausted. By Halloween, I was done climbing, unless I wanted to invest in a full body harness, which would just be goofy.

The big challenge was keeping our backpacking trip in Glacier National Park on track. Before I became pregnant, we already had summer plans to do a grueling 5-7 day backpacking trip in Glacier National Park with our friend Joe McCoy.  Despite being 16 weeks pregnant, Justin and Joe wanted to attempt a much more ambitious trip than I thought I could handle. It was difficult sticking to my guns, but we ultimately decided on a trip that would be both adventurous and doable for me, given my current condition.  One logistical hurdle was that while my backpack still fit me, I had to really watch how much weight I carried – Justin had to carry a larger proportion of our gear than usual.  That quickly became the least of my concerns. Never before have I craved fresh food (versus dehydrated meals and snacks) so early on during a backpacking trip. Picking thimbleberry along the trail while bear calling, since I was alone as a result of my internal break at any sign of an incline, was delicious, but wasn’t enough to satisfy Atlas. To put icing on the cake, sleeping on a pad when you have to sleep on your side, and the constant need to pee throughout the night got old very fast.

Because of permitting issues in the park, we did two 3 day trips, rather than 1 long trip, which worked out for the better. One benefit to hiking so much slower than usual (which was a difficult pill to swallow), was that it forced me to really take in and appreciate the amazing views that Glacier has to offer.

On day two, we hiked about 5 miles to our second camp at Gunsight Lake. Since we arrived pretty early in the day, and couldn’t do the through hike we were hoping for, we did a day hike up the ridge toward Gunsight Pass. Always in the back of my mind was the fear of accidently overexerting myself and harming my growing baby. Thus, before we went over the pass, I told the guys I’d wait for them at a good rest spot, and took a nice, much needed nap, while they played farther up the trail. All-in-all, we backpacked 26.4 miles and day hiked 14 miles (10 of which was in a single day) over the course of 7 days —not too shabby for a lethargic pregnant woman. Click here for more pictures from this trip.

With my growing belly and the shorter days, we had to settle for shorter day hikes by November. When the snow finally fell in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, I relished the opportunity to get out and add some variety to my hiking. It was time to start snowshoeing! The challenge at this point was to find clothes that would still fit…fortunately for me, I could either not button my pants or Justin had an old pair of snow pants that fit my protruding belly.

 

Each trip was about 3 miles, not too shabby! Unfortunately, a hike in mid-January triggered early contractions (at 35 weeks) and I was put on bed rest. While bed rest was for the better, it proved to be very frustrating, given my independence and drive to be active.  But, as soon as I was given the all clear from our midwife, I was back on the trail at 38 weeks. We continued to do casual hikes, and 2 days after one such hike, Atlas was born at-home after 4 hours of labor. Click here to read more about that and see amazing photos by SarahLove Photography.

As to be expected, I had to take a bit of time to recover, so we took our first hike as a family when Atlas was only 3 ½ weeks old. The plan was to do a light stroll in the foothills, but things with us never go according to plan. Somehow we chose a route that went straight up the mountain, or so it felt to me and it didn’t help that Justin was in the midst of training to climb Mount Rainier, so the hike did not seem very difficult to him.  It felt great to get outside again.

By the time Atlas was 5 weeks old (click here for pictures) we went out climbing together and by the time he was 4 ½ months old (click here for pictures) we tackled our first backpacking trip. I won’t go into too much detail on the post-baby outings, in case we decide to expand on them in future blogs, but I will say, the main challenge was breastfeeding while hiking.

Throughout the pregnancy and the post-partum months to follow, one of the biggest obstacles for both Justin and I was accepting that we couldn’t do as much as we used to be able to, no matter how much we wished it were true. We ultimately came to terms with it and took it one stride at a time, enjoying the view along the way.

Mosquitos and the Boundary Waters

            If you were to ask the average person if they would spend a 6 day vacation in the backcountry of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, most would probably say “I don’t even know what or where the Boundary Waters are.”  If you were to then explain to them that the Boundary Waters is a 1.1 million acre canoe area with over 2,000 backcountry campsites in northern Minnesota, bordering Canada and try to ask them again, they would say “Hell no!  Why would I spend my entire vacation outside?”

The answer to that question, from our perspective, is to spend quality time with family. The best way to do that is to remove yourself from the distractions of modern technology, and test yourself both mentally and physically. The reward is seeing the amazing things nature has to offer, that the average American lacks motivation to work toward.

After our trip we had similar exchanges while explaining where we went on vacation.  Surprisingly, most people just assumed that we did not, and would not take Atlas, our 2.5 year-old with us.  The expression on their face was priceless when we explained that not only did we drag the little one along, we canoed and portaged 50 miles across 14 lakes with him in tow. Just because we have a kid, it does not mean we have to change how we spend our vacations: Family. Outdoors. Adventures.

Now, keep in mind that our close, childless friend devised the itinerary for the trip, since the Boundary Waters were his stomping grounds.  Living in the mountain west, our trips usually involve mountains.  The only water we typically have to deal with are the small streams that we hop across on the trail and cold mountain cirques.  We had only been on one prior canoe trip - over 7 years ago.

Day 1: Mudro Lake to Gun Lake

The adventure started with our outfitter (Boundary Water Outfitters based out of Ely, MN) dropping us off at the Mudro Lake entry point.  With Yadéeh on the front seat and child in the space in front of her and Justin in back seat of the canoe, the first ¼ mile of canoeing was a complete shit show:  The entry point was a meandering river that wound through reeds, lily pads, and pine trees and with some portions only 10 feet or so wide.  Neither of us remembered much about how to steer a canoe, and our kid refused to keep his hands and arms safely inside the vehicle at any time.  The only thing we knew was that the stronger person should be in the back to steer.

Our canoe spun out of control the entire time we tried navigating through the winding river, to the great amusement of our friend and his girlfriend 100 feet ahead in the other canoe.  Once the river opened up into Mudro Lake, it seemed that we finally figured out how to steer a canoe again and gave up trying to keep our kid in the canoe and dry.

Portaging, although scenic, quickly became our least favorite part of the trip.  Yadéeh had to manage carrying a pack while encouraging Atlas along the trial or carrying him in her arms down the trail. Meanwhile, Justin resorted to taking two trips: first carrying the canoe, then trail running back to retrieve the remaining pack and the canoe paddles.  Keep in mind, the trails were often rocky, muddy and SWARMING with mosquitos.  Luckily, our kid was fine wearing his mosquito net and they didn’t seem to like him anyhow.  Us, however…let’s just say that after 3 weeks from the end of our trip, we still have several faint mosquito bite marks.

We ate lunch at a beautiful campsite on a peninsula.  During lunch, the partly cloudy sky quickly gave way to a tumultuous thunderstorm.  Fortunately, the storm passed within 15 minutes and we set off across the lake. This is when we had one of our favorite sightings: a beaver swam in front of us in the lake, wacked its tail, and dropped under the water.

As we looked for our next portage entry, another storm rolled in. We huddled under the tarp at a campsite about 50 feet from the next portage. Our poor kid was exhausted at this point and fell asleep in Yadeeh’s arms while waiting out the storm in rain gear under the tarp. There was no way we wanted to wait upwards of 2 hours for his nap to finish, so we loaded up into the canoe, paddled the 50 feet, unloaded and portaged, all while trying to keep Atlas asleep.

After this, the rest of the day went by without a hitch. Our campsite wasn’t our first choice, but we made due as it rained on-and-off for the rest of the evening. As the sun went down and we got ready for bed, the toads came out to play. Although Yadéeh went into the tent early to put Atlas to sleep, he wasn’t having it, so we all went to bed as a family.

Day 2: Gun Lake to Friday Bay

            We woke up to clear skies and choppy water. So, we had to put our newly acquired paddling skills to the test. All-in-all, it went well because we paddled with the waves along the lake to our dreaded longest portage of 1 mile. That doesn’t sound like much, but given the conditions we described before, it seemed like 10 miles. After meandering through Papoose Creek and another portage (Yadéeh carrying our sleeping kid), we eventually popped out on the southern tip of Friday Bay and made camp shortly thereafter on a peninsular cliff. Justin had to set up camp while Yadéeh held the still sleeping kid. We enjoyed the continual breeze through camp, as it kept the mosquitos at bay and we enjoyed a small cocktail as the sun set.

Day 3: Friday Bay to Crooked Lake

A cloudy, misty and cool morning with flat waters started out our third day. However, once we entered Crooked Lake, things drastically changed. Crooked Lake is one of the larger lakes in the area and straddles the US-Canada border. At this point, Atlas was becoming a bit ornery, so Justin took a shift paddling in the front while Yadéeh tried to steer in the back. As we turned the corner into Crooked Lake, the swells began to rise and white caps began to surface and the weather continued to deteriorate. Our kid continued to try to play in the water, despite the misty weather and rocking boat. Ultimately, he fell asleep in Justin’s lap. This posed a challenge, as Yadéeh could not steer to save her life, so we decided to pull ashore and switch places. Luckily, Atlas remained asleep. Before we knew it, we were battling head on white caps in the middle of Crooked Lake, with a sleeping child in Yadeeh’s lap, and no land within a ¼ mile radius. Taking it one swell at a time, we made it through without incident and made camp early due to the inclement weather and the emotional stress on the group. 

The blessing in disguise was having a bit more down time at camp. When Atlas woke up from his nap, we went exploring as a family and found a sweet set of camping pots and pans. Atlas loved helping collect and carry the firewood back to camp.

Day 4: Crooked Lake to Tiger Bay

Yay, sun! The morning was nice and clear with calm waters, a much appreciated change from the previous day. This began our longest day yet, providing plenty of opportunity for our kid to help paddle and drag his hands in the water.

       

First, we crossed Crooked Lake and hugged the Canadian shoreline as we headed west toward Curtain Falls. Yes, we had our passports, but our friends didn’t. It was an intense experience approaching the inlet to Curtain Falls.  As we turned the corner to enter the inlet, we could hear the roaring water, but still could not see what was creating the sound. Then, off on the horizon we could see the mist from the falls. The entry to the portage was only 50 feet or so upstream of the falls, so we had to make sure we didn’t overshoot it. The falls themselves were spectacular, although not that tall. Once back in our boats, we continued paddling toward Tiger Bay.

The portage on Canadian soil was one of the buggiest and steepest yet. But, we survived with only a few hundred more mosquito bites. As we entered Tiger Bay, our friend who was navigating, had a few “perfect” camp sites in mind. Unfortunately for us, they were all already taken. In order to figure that out, we had to circumnavigate an entire island, only to settle on one of the first sites we saw. It turned out to be one of our favorite sites because it had few bugs and we finally got to set up our hammock with a view of the lake. This was also the first site where Justin and Kid went for a swim...brrr…too cold for Yadéeh though. While hanging out at camp, Atlas began to scream like we’ve never heard him scream before. There was a snake in our camp. Atlas usually loves animals and is not afraid to touch new ones, but instinct kicked in, and he knew to wait until we told him it was ok. So, of course, Yadéeh tried to catch it. Bad idea, kind of. The snake (only a garter snake, don’t worry), bit Yadéeh and went on its merry way, only to be back to bask in the morning sun the next day.

Day 5: Tiger Bay to Nina Moose Lake

Oh boy, we thought the freak out from the snake was bad…when it came time to take a group photo, Atlas’ melt down began. We made it 5 non-stop days with little down time, so it was just a matter of time. After we took a picture without Atlas, we tried to put the life jacket on him. You’d think we ask him to cut off his own toe. After calm negotiations did not work, we had to force the jacket on him, and then Yadéeh held him in the canoe kicking and screaming, and tried to sing to calm him down while Justin paddled us away from camp. There were many points throughout the trip where Justin had to do most the paddling while Yadéeh took care of Atlas in some fashion or another. Other than this being the longest day and the morning melt down, it was the most uneventful day. It did, however, have Atlas’ favorite portage. At the end of the portage, there were boards set across the trail, which quickly turned into “train tracks” with a ticket agent while we waited for Justin to finish the portage.

          Upon arriving at camp, we noticed a turtle in a flat area used to set up a tent. As we approached, we saw that the turtle had dug a hole in which it filled newly laid eggs! We left momma turtle alone while we unloaded our gear. This campsite was the buggiest yet. We couldn’t even venture to the bathroom or hang out at the fire pit because of it. We spent our time on the granite slab along the water’s edge, enjoying our last night out.

Day 6: Nina Moose Lake to the Moose River Portage

We weren’t allowed to get on our boat (the canoe) without a “ticket.”  Luckily, Atlas found enough “tickets” for all of us. As it turned out, Atlas’ ticket doubled as a coloring stick! It was slightly burnt and when it became wet, Atlas was able to draw on the canoe seat with it. Yet another way to keep him entertained. While this was one of the shorter days, it felt like an eternity because we were sore from all the paddling and portaging. Most of the day was spent meandering through the narrow Moose River. We joked that it felt like a final exam because of all the precise paddling required navigating the river, including up and over flooded beaver dams. Justin was even able to flawlessly parallel park the canoe by the end of the trip.  We ended the day with burgers at a microbrewery in Ely and lighting sparklers at the outfitters lodge in celebration of the 4^th of July.

All in all, it was a great time. Having a kid along for a trip like this certainly made it several times more challenging. However, introducing a child to outdoor adventure and the many wild things nature has to offer made the experience worthwhile and unforgettable for not only us, but hopefully for our kid as well. If we were to do it again, the only things we might change is that we’d plan in more down time at camp each day and go in August when the mosquitos were less intense.