June 2020 Backpacking Trip to Weaver Lake

 In June 2020, we backpacked into Weaver Lake in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness by Sequoia/King's Canyon. It's a 6.5 mile out-and-back trail. Somehow I don't have any pictures of this trip, so I missed it while blogging. I have a vague memory of relying on Jim for pictures that weekend; not sure why. Anyway, he found these on his phone, so I'm blogging it out of order. 

To the best of Jim's recollection, we drove up and camped Wednesday night, June 17, 2020, at a campground just off the road. Thursday morning we packed up, drove to the trailhead parking lot, and hiked in to the lake. Once we reached the lake, it wasn't clear where to go. We walked around and found a place to pitch our tents, but there was nowhere good to stash our food and smelly items so they'd be safe from bears. We climbed over a log near our tents (pictured below) and down a rocky area. We had a bag (or two?) of stuff that wouldn't fit in our bear canisters, so one of the littles climbed down and shoved it down among the rocks under a giant boulder. We hoped the bears wouldn't be able to reach it there, and indeed, all our stuff was untouched by wildlife for the duration.  

Friday, June 19, we explored. We scrambled around the rocks down by where our bear canisters and smelly stuff were (down the hill from this log). 

In the afternoon we went exploring around the lake, stopping to read from These Happy Golden Years (the eighth book in the Little House on the Prairie series). I recall a fight about this. Some little people didn't want to read (or wanted to read a different book, maybe). But the picture makes it seem nice.

We found a spot out on a little peninsula from which we wanted to jump in. We all got into our swimsuits. I think Jim got in and out quickly. I stood on a rock by the water for a long time trying to muster the courage, as I knew it was freezing. Tiny, who was a few weeks out from her fourth birthday at the time, stood next to me. Suddenly, without any warning, she leaped in. She was shocked by the cold and very unhappy, and she swam as quickly as she could to the side. We were so proud of her for jumping in like that, all by herself. Our adventurous, brave little Tiny.

Next was my turn. 

Ever wanted me to stay in until she got in. She seriously lagged, however, and it was so cold. She finally tried to wade in, and right after this video, she hit her toe on a rock and got hurt and gave up trying to swim.

After that adventure, I really wanted to climb up the other side of the lake. Ever was adamantly opposed and wanted to go back to the campsite. She finally agreed, and we started scrambling over the rocks on the far side. I called out something like, "Goosey, you're making my dreams come true!" as we raced over the rocks. I was so happy. Ever was ahead of me; Jim was bringing up the rear. It was all grand until Ever yelled that she was stuck. She had reached a steep section and couldn't go up or down. She sounded desperate. Jim hurried to help her. We realized then that we were in a predicament. Going down or sideways didn't look possible. The cliff above us looked really sketchy, but it was the only option.  Jim was really upset with me for running up ahead and putting us in this position. I just didn't know it wasn't safe until it wasn't. It's always easy to go up until you can't, at which point you realize you can't go down either. And Ever was ahead of me, so I didn't know what we were getting into. Anyway, we decided that Jim would take the girls up one at a time. I hung out on a ledge with the littles and tried to act as if everything were all right while Jim climbed with Ever. Secretly I prayed over and over that we would somehow be able to do this safely. The top section was completely out of view, so I didn't have any idea where they were or what was going on. Jim  returned for Wren and said he'd left Ever sitting on a rock at the top. One by one, he shuttled the girls up while I sat in terror and prayed. I was so scared that someone was going to fall and die; we had done this stupid thing, and now a tragic accident was going to occur. It felt like an eternity each time Jim was gone. I worried at least as much about his coming down each time as I did about his trip up with a kid. Eventually we all made it to the top, and I was so relieved I started crying.   

All these pictures were taken before the super hairy part where the shuttling began. Even some of this looks  dumb. 

In the picture below, Ever is on the big rock above me, and Wren is on my left. 

Again, Ever is way up at the top (probably around where she got stuck):

Never was there a happier sight than these three little people waiting safely at the top:

After we all reached the top, we made our way to the left and down, finally reaching the lake and going back around it the way we had started out. We passed a couple there who congratulated us on our achievement. They had watched our entire ascent with fascination, trying to figure out our plan and who was climbing when. They took a bunch of pictures of us and said they would e-mail them to us but never did. I really would have liked to see what we looked like up there. 

Saturday morning, the girls climbed boulders while Jim and I packed up.

I recall that the beginning of the hike out was a total nightmare. Tiny was a disaster and refused to cooperate. I think she got wet and had clothing issues, and it took us about an hour to round the lake and really start hiking. I also remember that with all three girls and their small bladders and active bowels, somebody had to go to the bathroom about every hour during this trip. It's not easy. 

Tiny was in her element in the dirt.  

Dirty and tired, but we made it.

Tiny talked about Weaver Lake for a long time afterward. She said she wanted to go back for her birthday. 

On the drive home, Google lady tried to take us on a dirt road that couldn't possibly have been the right way. Jim looked at the map and tried to figure out where to go, and then he drove for an hour in the wrong direction. There were no signs, and his Google map wouldn't update for lack of service. He was incredibly angry about the two-hour detour; it's very important to him that we return from trips early enough to have a leisurely evening. Better luck next time.

July 2020 Road Trip to Oregon: Kayaking with Dawn and Ed

Sunday, July 26, we drove from Coos Bay down to Dawn and Ed's neck of the woods. We'd planned to do a river trip with them on our way home. We rented a room that Sunday night in the Travel Inn & Suites in Marysville, which is right next to Yuba City where Dawn and Ed live. It was cheap (as all the places we stayed were) and looked okay in pictures. In real life it was terrifying. It was filthy. I thought for sure we'd get bed bugs. There was a hole in the bathroom wall. Razor blades under the bed. A domestic dispute broke out across the hall from us/in the corridor right outside our room, complete with a lot of scary and profane yelling. It went on a long time. No joke, I was afraid gunshots would be fired, and I feared for our safety. I tried to keep the girls on the bed on the other side of the bathroom so that bullets would have to go through more walls to reach them. Jim had to leave to pick up Panera for our dinner while the fighting was still happening, and we were both afraid for his life. He made it, though, and we stayed the night and lived to tell the tale. A glimpse of our fancy digs and snuggly girlies:

Monday Dawn and Ed took us on a little trip down the river. It's a lot of work for them to prepare and haul the boats and gear, park a car at the far end, etc. We really appreciated their taking us. My sweet Bear:

The water was cold, so there wasn't much swimming. I did live by my motto, however, and I swam in this body of water.

And that was it for Oregon 2020. We finished the drive home, and I read. I read for so many hours in the car on this trip. All the hours. I love it, but I also pat myself on the back a little bit for being a good mom like that. 

July 2020 Road Trip to Oregon: Florence Sand Dunes and Kayaking

Saturday, July 25, 2020, Becky Holbrook hooked us up. She was incredible, despite our only contacting her the previous afternoon right before we arrived in Florence. She (and Ollie, their youngest) took us in the morning to the sand dunes with their sandboards. It's an incredible place. The only downside was the wind. Becky said it is very often windy in Florence, unfortunately. If it weren't for the wind, Jim was about ready to move there. 

After the dunes, Becky dropped us and some of their kayaks where we could kayak up the Siuslaw River. Ever wanted to paddle her own kayak. Wren rode in a kayak tethered to mine, and Tiny rode in a kayak tethered to Jim's. It was really lovely.  

I enjoyed a little stretch of houseboats where you turn from the open harbor up the river.

Wrenzy really got relaxed behind me.

Ever liked to get adventurous and go around or through obstacles.

Tiny was so tired when we stepped out to go over a dam that she appeared liable to fall asleep on her feet.

I think we turned around about halfway up. I wished we could explore farther, but we were going so slow that we didn't really have time. Plus the kids were beat.

Ever looked like a pro on her knees.

Tiny took a page from Wren's playbook and tried to take a nap in her kayak (behind Jim).

Big purple flowers were spotted, and Wrenzy wanted them. Ever paddled over and picked some.

Tiny again, fully prostrate:

Given the wind, I was concerned about how we'd get back to the harbor once we rounded the corner out of the protection of the river. I was ahead of Jim at that point, and I took a "save yourself" approach. I just paddled and went for it. I looked back and saw Ever struggling and Jim with her. I didn't think there would be anything I could do for them, though, so I just kept going. It became clear that Jim needed help with Ever. Becky arrived to pick us up, and as I wavered on the shore wondering what to do, she ran into the water with a kayak and was off. She tethered her kayak to Ever's and pulled her the last of the way in. Jim was very unhappy with me for ditching them and said I could at least have helped attach Ever's kayak to his. Whoops. I just thought Wrenzy and I might get blown out to sea and didn't think I could do anything besides try to survive. Jim pulling into shore:

Becky told us about a time when she and her brother, Zach, went kayaking out there and the wind was so crazy that they were just getting blown out. Separately, they were making mental plans to just give up and allow themselves to be carried away and hope they made it. I didn't know until that experience why lakes are scary. 

We drove to Coos Bay and stayed at a humble but fine Motel 6 that night. Jim was curious to see Coos Bay, but from what we could see, there wasn't really anything there worth seeing.