Backpacking 2011

And YOU thought backpacking couldn't be done with a 4-year-old, a 1-year old, and a 1-year old! Well, pshaw! It can. Of course, you need a few llamas to pack your stuff in, so you can carry the kids, but there you go.

A couple of weekends ago we got together with some friends, rented some llamas, and hit the backcountry near Sisters, Oregon. We had 100lbs available for our entire family of 5(!), so we got the bathroom scale out, set it on the deck, and started weighing gear, tossing out any little item we didn't think was absolutely necessary.  Food was 25lbs. The tent was 30. That left about 45 for the rest of our gear and clothes, and we barely eeked in at 98lbs before buying one more child's sleeping bag, which weighed 2 lbs (how's that for exactness!).

The hike was not bad at all. Mostly relatively flat and only 2 miles or so. If Seville hadn't been so exhausted from getting no sleep the night before (we stayed in a motel; she didn't go to sleep until we did) she would have been able to hike the whole way - she did on the way back. As it was we carried her in a pack part of the way. Each of us had one baby on the front in a Becko or Ergo, and either a 30lb 4-year old or a 30lb backpack on the back. My one regret is that the backpack was merely a daypack, and killed my shoulders. We should have brought a real backpack, but we didn't anticipate having so much extra weight (mostly snacks, water, and random leftovers, but they added up!)

The hike was through a burnt-out area of the forest, which was actually really cool because not only was it surreal looking, we had great views and lots of wildflowers growing all over the place (one of my favorite things!). The camping area next to the lake did have green trees, so we had plenty of shade and lush forest to camp in.

I expected the lake to be some freezing glacier run-off type thing, but it was actually warm and lovely. Totally swimmable.