Mazama 2013

 Lost River, Mazama, Washington

Memorial Weekend (year four?)

JERPS, Mattney, Davlyn, Leviza, Bandy, Ashlic, Grantly, Johnann

First agenda item: rerouting the stream

We got the same camp we had last year, a favorite because a small offshoot of the river runs right through camp -- easy dishwashing & beer cooling. We arrived this year to find the stream all dried up. Not that they need one, but this provided a great reason for the boys to play with the river & they set to work diverting it through camp again. They dug channels & moved rocks about 100 yards up from our campsite & within two hours we had water running through camp again. I had visions of waking up to everything underwater in the morning but the stream followed the boys wishes & flowed through camp, rejoining the river another 100 yards or so downstream.

Camp life is good.

This was Blakey's first camping trip -- it was also his cousin Myles' first camping experience. They both did great.

Sleep & keeping them warm were the most challenging aspects. Our first night was a bit rough, as it was trial & error to figure out how to keep Blake comfortable. Each night got progressively better & we surprised ourselves by staying all three nights! His Patagonia fleece bodysuit proved to be worth much more than its $4.99 price tag & has solidified its place as the best Goodwill find ever.

While there was an occasional overwhelming moment with juggling everything, it was outweighed by how much fun it was to watch Blake experience it all. If he could tell us, I imagine his highlights would be hanging out with everyone around the campfire (he got lots of quality play & snuggles with Auntie Boo & Ashley) & playing in the dirt. Early morning was one of my favorite times, as he snuggled with us or crawled around the tent, the sun streaming in the open tent flap.

Inevitably most photos are of Blake, but I did get one or two from our hike also.

Myles loved playing in the dirt. One night after dinner, he got himself especially dirty & David suggested he take a bath in the dutch oven that our dinner had recently been cooked in! The boys each had a turn in the cooking pot, enjoying it & all the attention immensely.

We did get in a little biking on our favorite Sun Mountain -- it was a first for me to pull Blake & the first time he'd been on mountain trails. The bumpy ride seemed to make him sack out in the trailer even more than usual.

By the last night, the stream through camp had a full-fledged waterfall & beverage cooling pool.

Of course a boat race was next.

The rules: boat must have an opening, must complete the race with its two bottle cap passengers intact & the passengers cannot be secured inside in any way. The entries were pretty creative, including a party barge (the milk carton). The competition was fierce, with lots of hollering & swearing (& one minor injury) as boats got stuck along the way. I don't remember who won, probably because it was hotly contested.

All in all, it was a big success for our first camping trip as a family of three.