The next morning, we hit the visitor's center for information on hikes and backpacking and Schat's Bakery for sandwiches and treats (which we finally had to admit are not that good). An older lady at Schat's complimented us on our well-behaved kids, so that was nice. She and her husband also have three girls. I hear that quite a bit when we're out and about.
We had our Airbnb for a few days, but Jim really wanted to get a backpacking overnighter under our belts before the Yosemite portion of our trip. The best day to do it was that night so we'd get back on Saturday and be able to go to church on Sunday. I was incredibly reluctant, given that the girls had been up until about midnight and were crazy tired, but I let Jim make the call. He opted to go for it. He chose the Lundy Canyon Trail, which the park ranger had tried to dissuade us from taking because of potential snow and because I think she thought it would be too hard for our kids. But Jim's a go-big kind of guy.
We went back to the condo and spent a long time getting organized and packed for backpacking. So hard. So much gear. There was no way Jim and I could have carried everything, and we wanted the girls to participate anyway, so each of them had a pack. Ever's held her sleeping bag and sleeping pad; Wren carried her and Tiny's sleeping bags, and Tiny carried the three girls' pillows.
On the road up to the trailhead, we passed a couple walking along the canyon floor (possibly birdwatching) who told us that the best part was down there where we were and that the trail up above was impassable. Jim, of course, pressed on. Tiny needed a potty stop along the way. We'd brought the seat from our training potty for such occasions.
We managed to get to the parking area by the trailhead without getting stuck in a serious section of mud. Starting out:
The trail was absolutely beautiful, thanks in large part to the snow on the mountains. It felt as if we were climbing in the Alps or something. Glorious.
There was a section within a mile of the trailhead that provided endless scrambling fun.
Wrenzy at the bottom, Tiny in the middle, Jim and Ever at the top:
Tiny and I coming down (Tiny's nearly invisible):
We dragged the girls away from the rocks with a promise of future climbing. There were some relatively flat areas right by the trail in that climbing area, but we were hoping to find a better campsite farther off the trail. We hiked on a little while but didn't see anywhere we could pitch tents. We were worried about how late it was getting and didn't know how long we'd have to go to find a good site, so we turned around and set up camp right off the trail in the scrambling area. The girls highly enjoyed scaling this feature next to our campsite:
Ever helped Jim set up while Tiny poured dirt all over herself.
Somehow Ever's face got really dirty, too.
Tiny stayed busy building some sort of dirt altar.
The temperature dropped, and the beanies came out.
Jim warmed water for dinner.
Tiny had to go potty again.
It's impossible to overstate how many times during our Mammoth and Yosemite backpacking adventures we had to help little people relieve themselves. Three girls with small bladders and active bowels. So very much potty time. That was not the best part.
Jim and I slept in different tents with the girls split between us. We each had a Pippi book for bedtime reading, and that was enjoyed by all.
The crew Saturday morning:
Ever couldn't wait to finish Pippi, so she sat overlooking the river and read to herself.
While Jim and I broke camp, Wren went up the face of this unattended.
Bear waved from the top while Tiny made her way up:
Lots more potty time for Tiny (in the background) while Ever complained of exhaustion.
She recovered enough to start climbing again.
It's always a relief when no one falls to his death.
We got mostly packed up and then left our stuff in one tent while we hiked farther down the trail.
Jim gave Ever a lesson on water purification while Tiny and Wrenzy threw rocks into the stream.
Lots of river crossings, and nobody fell in.
Eventually we got through a boggy forested area to a river that was, indeed, impassable. Two teenage boys were trying to figure out a way across but seemed to agree it was hopeless. We turned back and headed down, stopping for a snack on a boulder on the way.
More dirt play by Tiny. Notice her left foot and leg.
Ever, of the inexplicably nappy hair, guided Tiny:
We'd promised the girls a little more climbing by our campsite on the way down the hill. Ever and Tiny at the top:
Ever helping Tiny Tot down:
Ever invented this fun little game about pirates, where one team climbed up the rocks on one side of the trail, and the other climbed up the rocks on the other side of the trail, and then we raced down and up the other side while somebody tried to tag us. It was fun and creative and a little scary on account of the possibility of falling while race-climbing. We weren't able to play too long because it was getting late, and Ever was very upset when we cut it off.
The girls were fatigue-wrecked. When we got back to the condo, Wrenzy passed out on the couch and slept a long time.
Overall, the trip was a big success. It was a beautiful area, and we were glad we went, despite the girls' sleep-deprivation.
