Camp Awesome.

The first thing Parker said as he yelled over his shoulder, while running down the trail to the campsite is "Raise your hand if you think this is SO COOL!". Evie's hand shot up and Jeremy and I had to agree. We knew that for our last (maybe) camping trip of the season we could probably score a spot at the coveted Boulder Creek campsites. These spots are limited, beautiful and very rustic, with no water and just a patch of dirt and a firepit. We had to hike in our gear and we made it just before dark on Friday after school for a gorgeous 3 days. And with nights dipping into the thirties, there were only four other people that we saw the entire weekend to share this amazing patch of the world.  A pictorial review of the time we all agreed was a solid 10 out of 10...

One of the most delightful activities the kids invented was Fairy Frog House. There were hundreds of adorable frogs down the moss covered ravine and the kids made houses and fern couches for them and carefully placed no less than one hundred of them in a new and spectacular home.

 Parks running about camp. The overwhelming glee of camping that 

makes a child run and laugh for hours on end.

 We spent the nights on the edge of the creek and the flowing water lulled us to sleep every night.

 The creek left a gorgeous array of orange and yellow colors strewn about the banks from the iron deposits.

 Parker filtering water from the creek while Evie awaited her turn. While lack of any water supply may be a deterrent to some families, it is a selling point for my kids.

 We drove up the approach of Mount Baker to hike to Blue Lake. One of the coolest things about this hike is how high the trail entrance is. On Saturday, that meant driving above the low-lying clouds to the awe and amazement of the kids.

 Most hikes include a mid-way sucker stop, right?

 The culmination of our hike and so far we are 0 for 200 with fishing at high altitudes. :)

We scored our favorite campsite that comes complete with a cascading series of pools.

 Hands down, my favorite part of the trip is that Parker and Everly are old enough to tell stories around the campfire. Here is Ev, regaling us with her rendition of the Three Little Bears. Parker's stories seemed to always include an intricate web of secret agents.

 Our view from the banks of the creek.