Rustic Retreats
Considering the benefits of getting out, without needing to use a tent.
http://www.seattleschild.com/article/rustic-retreats
Backcountry Babes
This Christmas we did something new and unexpected. We took an invitation from family to join them with friends at a backcountry lodge, accessible only by helicopter.
It wasn’t a given. We enjoy Christmas at home generally, the time with extended family, our church services, our family traditions. And we worried about being in the backcountry if there was a medical problem. We were concerned about the safety of backcountry skiing after two years of skiing with avalanches, and worried about the mountain flight in a small helicopter. We talked about it a lot before we committed. Then we signed up.
And we are glad we did.
Walk in a winter wonderland
We flew in to Powdercreek Lodge in the Purcell mountains of British Columbia on December 21st and stayed until the day after Christmas. Lodge owner Guus was there with his wife Ramune, my brother and his wife, and a couple not only inspiring, but truly epic in their outdoor pursuits with their two kids, a 3 year old and a 10 month old. So our showing up with only one kid seemed downright doable.
A few good turns
Though Guus noted that the snow was old, we took turns skiing old powder (still powder by any description!) and watching our little guy, taking him out for sleds to snowy hikes and wondrous snowy adventures, sometimes long sometimes short, always followed by sips of hot chocolate. It was a week of a different kind of adventure than our previous childless years in the backcountry. I felt out of shape for the skins back uphill and quickly felt my legs on even short runs. Taking turns, we each had only an hour or two (occasionally more) on our skis. But we were doing it. We were in the wilderness. Ridge lines and powder surrounded us. No hint of the outside world came along. There is no internet connection, and satellite phones only for emergencies.
Santa comes to the backcountry, too
Inside the lodge our 2 year old played with the three year old, and we all watched the baby. Scrabble games completed every day. We took turns trying our hands at culinary delights starting with appetizers at 4 and dinner at 6. Christmas dinner brought contributions from all and high spirits and cheer, and Christmas eve we sat around to sing all the Christmas carols we knew. Carol showed me a thing or two about knitting. Ramune serenaded us on her guitar.
Powdercreek Lodge blew us away not only in its mountain beauty, but in the thorough integrity of its design, its systems and safety. Guus build the lodge with friends almost twenty years ago after integrating best practices from remote mountain retreats. On the second floor are well constructed mesh racks and boot hangars to dry gear, just above the wood stove below. The common area is perfectly designed for the flow of people. A sauna and shower house help salve post-ski muscles and clean up for dinner. Incinerating toilets outside manage waste. Well labeled and positioned emergency gear is stationed around the lodge, and we were given a brief on arrival. We’ve been places we didn’t feel as good about operations. Powdercreek sold us on how things should be.
We love our traditional Christmases. But this one will remain strong in our memories as backcountry bliss. And we are already scheming for how to include Powdercreek in our annual plans one day. I’m pretty sure our 2 year old will ski circles around us in another ten years. Maybe then we’ll be the ones slowing him down, going in early for hot chocolate. But time in the mountains together, focusing only on the wild and our pounding hearts and throbbing legs and the people around us, is an experience we will never forget.
Back to High Camp, and fun in the snow with toddlers and kids
The annual trip to Scottish Lakes in the North Cascades was a huge success this year. Our group took over most of High Camp with families and one cabin with singles or those without kids for the weekend, and let the festivities begin.
Our little guy who had loved the snow machine ride at age 1 didn’t like it at all this year on the way up, so I mashed his squirming body between mine and the driver’s and we made the four miles with no problem. (on the way down, he was excited and kept saying “vroom, vroom!”- all about continuing the exposure to new things, and trying, and trying again!) Then there was the snow. We don’t live in it day to day, and he wasn’t sure what to think. Now he was almost two, and things had changed. He didn’t even want to walk on it! We had brought our backpack for snowshoes, but the snow was crunchy and he weights 37 pounds in just a diaper. Didn’t sound fun. He didn’t want to sit still either. With all we were hoping for, time outside, snow, sun, fresh air, were we doomed for the lodge?
Despite remembering that success is getting packed and on the way to the destination- new definitions- I was a little bit worried. Sister-in-law to the rescue! Having done all of this with twins who are almost 8, she knew the answers, and swooped in with kitchen implements, two yogurt containers and a few large kitchen spoons. She and Sam sat on the snow and started to dig, just like at the beach, and soon he couldn’t get enough.
The other kids, aged almost 2 through 8, sledded to their hearts content, with and without parents, skied and snowshoed, and we all reveled in letting the kids run free, not something easy to do in the city (or even possible.) After reading an article in Boston Magazine about overparenting, it was nice to be able to let go. Our nephew spent his first night winter camping, sleeping in a tent with his dad one night!
One family with two kids spent the first night with one girl throwing up- no fun. They headed down the next morning. But we all agreed success was just getting there, and knowing when to call it quits. They’ll be there next year. The key: show up, and if it doesn’t work, show up again!
Sam decked out for cabin sleeping
Sleeping- always a challenge. We brought a pack n play, and the first night was horrible (it had worked so well at 8-weeks old and one year!) We brought a sleeping bag in addition to his sleep sack, and hat and mittens and fleece for slewing, and P got up to keep the fire going all night. Still, we ended up just pulling Sam into our bed where we all were able to sleep, thankfully. Remember- a weekend away, changing things up is just fine. You just do what works! (thanks again to my sister-in-law for reminding me of this)
In the lodge, great meals and caroling, and a couple of forward thinking parents bringing play-doh for the kids providing hours of entertainment. And of course story books and a few other toys to chase around so the parents could enjoy Manny’s and good wine and a few minutes of adult conversation.
our family group on skis and boots
Another memorable year, another wonderful time with family and friends in the outdoors.
Glacier travel with little ones
You might have heard of this couple already- they’ve written a book about travel to Alaska before baby, and were featured in the NYT about living in a yurt on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska…now they are traveling with not one (which they did across Canada) but TWO kids in tow, including glaciers!
If you need a little motivation, read this article and see how another family makes it work.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/tackling-alaskas-malaspina-glacier-2-babies-tow
Getting the gear
As everyone who goes outside knows, the gear makes a big difference, and it isn’t any different for your wee one- arguably it’s even more important. Little bodies don’t regulate heat and cold as well, so paying attention to what you use to dress them in is critical.
We have loved the Patagonia Baby Capilene 
Feet are as important as ever. There are some great options, including Kamik Snowbug 2 Cold Weather Boot (Toddler)
and we love the SmartWool Baby Sock Sampler 
For rain there are a number of options, including Tuffo Muddy Buddy Overalls
Whatever you choose, remember to avoid cotton, like you would for yourselves, unless it’s for sleeping. Synthetics breathe and allow moisture to escape, critical for maintaining warmth and comfort. Always remember to dress your child a layer warmer than you dress yourselves, and if carrying them in a sled or pack, check their temperatures often- while you are working harder, they don’t have the benefit of activity-induced warmth!
Sleeping arrangements
Memorial Day weekend 2011 (Night time temperature, high thirties/low forties F)
We needed to get outside, but kept it simple this time, and opted for car camping, something we might have scoffed at in the past. Our little guy is getting less interested in spending long periods in the pack though, so this seemed like a good option. We loaded up and headed back out to the Olympic peninsula.
Last year Sam was only five months old, and we put him in between us in our sleeping bag. This time, though, we figured he could (and should) have his own spot. We brought a small sleeping bag for him, and, because we were car camping, his pack-n-play, which we set up under our tarp. We still use our backpacking gear- we aren’t really outfitted for luxury. So we cooked black bean burritos by submerging the can of beans in a pot of boiling water on a whisperlite, and stretched out sleeping bags on the ground underneath a tarp. Experienced car campers know you can bring a giant Walmart tent and sleep on an air mattress (take note, in case car camping is your thing), but never mind.
Night 1:
Sam did go down; we did our normal bedtime routine with books and bottles and sleep sacks. The waking began, though, only an hour or so after we finally went to sleep. He was cold I think, so we pulled him into our sleeping bag, and then he was hot an hour later, so we stripped him down. Needless to say, none of us slept much.
Getting ready for bed under the tarp
Night 2:
We put the pack-n-play away, and put him into his fleece suit but put a real hat on his head, loaded him into his sleep sack and his (thirty year old lightweight) sleeping bag. He slept until a little after midnight. When he woke, my best guess is that he was a little scared bout having woken up in a sleeping bag which is a new sight, sound and feel- slipper nylon, puffy red stuff…he was distressed enough we pulled him into our bag again. I should point out that we have a double sleeping bag…the Feathered Friend’s Penguin 20, which is the size and weight of a single bag, since the down covers a nylon sheet into which sleeping pads fit so that they stay in place and insulate from the bottom. We love it, and it’s made it much easier to pull Sam into bed with us since it has more space, too.
Night 2: Finally sleeping!
July 4th weekend (night time temperature, about 50 degrees)
Night 1: This was a backpacking trip, so we didn’t even try the pack-n-play. We brought the same set up: footed fleece pajamas (nothing special: Carter’s finest), Sam’s sleepsack (the heavier version of Merino Kids) and his sleeping bag. Because he’s mobile now, it does take one of us a while to snuggle in with him until he’s sleeping, so that we don’t have him coming out of the bag again and again.
We slept under the tarp again, but with high tide and a weather system, we had light rain and a lot of blowing mist. This required us to wake up to adjust our bag out of the moisture, but Sam also woke up, his hair wet from the sea spray and his bag wet too. We pulled him into our sleeping bag (yes, a trend seems to be developing, but I don’t have much resilience when it comes to night time decisions).
Night 2: The weather cleared the next morning, and we had a wonderful day on the beach, tiring all of us out. While it took a little while to get Sam down, he slept through until about six in the morning- at which point something told me to open my eyes, and I looked up to see him standing up in his sleep sack grinning down at us! We’re calling this success though, the first full night of sleep in his own bag (even though we all snuggled for another hour or so before getting up).
Lessons learned:
1. You don’t need a fanct tent or a fancy set up. Just make sure you keep everyone dry, and have enough layers to keep everyone warm too.
2. Be flexible. Be flexible. Be flexible.
3. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again! It’s different, and a little challenging, to get the sleep piece to work, but it is certainly possible. And in the process, we have had two wonderful trips along the coast with our family, playing in the sun and soaking in the sea, listening to eagles and oceans and shorebirds. It’s worth the little bit of planning involved!
Paddling with kids
Is it possible? YES!
Without spoiling the fun, stay tuned for an article in an upcoming issue of Seattle’s Child (linked for you!). And in the meantime, check out the inspiration for said upcoming article, the Bune family at www.thefamilypaddles.com.
Kaj Bune likes to redefine Patagonia founder Yvon Chounard’s definition of adventure by saying that an adventure is anything where the outcome is unknown.
You already know that qualifies as pretty much anything with kids, but certainly getting outdoors, too.
And check out Outside Magazine’s article on whitewater rafting with a baby, too: http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/top-10-tips-for-whitewater-rafting-with-kids.html
Snacks on the trails
One thing our little guy does not have a problem doing is eating. Even so, convenience is important for snacks, but I wonder just how many Annie’s Homegrown Whole Wheat Bunnies Baked Snack Crackers
We’ve been impacted by all the talk lately about sugar, too, and try to reduce sugar and processed foods for all of us, kids included. With this in mind, what to do?
Older kids are a little bit easier since they have all their molars, and packing carrot sticks and a small container of hummus or apple slices is a great start to accompany the inevitable gorp. Bananas are good all around, though be careful how you pack it…and then you have the skin. There are times though, that fruit and veggies aren’t enough.
We love granola bars (watching all the sugar there of course) and so I figured there must be a way to make these and avoid the packaging and HFCS and whatever other long-worded ingredients there are in things you buy. I found a great recipe at Epicuriousand used some of the alterations recommended in the reviews (the keys to success with this site). It’s fabulous, even cutting the sugar and butter down significantly. And while they didn’t stay together well, it was good granola, too! (A second attempt did work out better, though I added a little extra honey)
Granola Bars
Another friend recommended a cookie recipe where she cuts the sugar to taste (easy to do!). Another likes to make these zucchini muffins in mini-muffin tins and freeze them to pull out over the month (she says it’s the only way she can get her little guy to eat vegetables!). For any baking, no one will notice the difference if you use half white-whole wheat flour. Another friend recommended this recipe for bars, though the marshmallows have a lot of sugar. Homemade still beats processed foods!
For packaged foods there are good options too. Larabar Bars
Should be a good start for the trail. And of course it accompanies good old fashioned GORP. Here’s our family recipe for that:
roasted peanuts
raisins
chocolate chips
m n ms
lemon drops
Mix in whatever amount you desire and pack away!
Just the boys…camping at Mt. Rainier
Urs Koenig of Redpoint Coaching in Seattle (via Switzerland) writes about taking his two boys Luc (5) and Liam (3) camping on the foot of Mt. Rainier in April this year.
nature provides all the toys they need!
This was a bit of a stretch assignment due to the very wet and cold weather we have had in the Pacific NW this spring. As we tried to drive up to our usual camping spot (next to White River), the access road was covered in a foot of snow. Luc assured me that he could shovel it all away and that I would be able to drive through. I politely declined his generous offer 
.
We drove down to lower elevation and found a great spot next to a forest service airstrip. We kept ourselves busy with roaming around and even witnessed a light aircraft practicing a touch and go,THE highlight of the trip for the boys! Evening came and it became very cold. The three of us snuggled up around the fire in our ski clothes watching the stars. Priceless moment for dad! Thanks to several sleeping bags, the night was not too bad with the exception of pee breaks the boys needed at 3 am (Temperature in the high 20s….).
Guest post: Meredith’s first backpacking trip
by Alison Arians of Anchorage, Alaska, courtesy of http://www.alisonslunch.com/
Alison and her husband Dan are friends in Anchorage with a wonderful daughter named Meredith who is seven. Alison was on the National Biathlon Team and got her PhD in river ecology before starting t0 bake bread with her husband Dan. Now they run Rise and Shine Bread in Anchorage and make all varieties of amazing sourdough bread!
Meredith shows off a great tent set up at Rabbit Lakes
The big news around here is that five-year-old Meredith and I did our first ever backpacking trip together! We’ve been discussing it for a long time, mulling over our route, destination, equipment, and most importantly, the menu. We settled on Rabbit Lake, a gradual climb of about four and a half miles from the trail head on the upper hillside of Anchorage.
It’s been at least seven years since my last backpacking trip—a long time, considering Dan’s and my enthusiasm for remote adventures before pregnancy, infant and toddler stages. We’ve been enjoying car camping and skiff camping trips since Meredith was born, but Meredith is old enough now to hold her own on hiking day trips. It was time to break out my pack.
So last Saturday after selling our bread at the farmers market, I rummaged around in the basement and ran up and down the stairs all afternoon, unearthing the necessary gear and then testing things out in the sunshine on the lawn. I explained to Meredith that I really did NOT want to discover that I had forgotten the tent poles when we arrived at Rabbit Lake. Or that my trusty WhisperLite stove’s plunger had dried up and wouldn’t pressurize the fuel can. Meredith got so excited about all this testing that she could hardly bear to break down the tent to pack it. Unfortunately, the weather report for the next few days looked rather ominous—especially for Sunday-Monday. Monday-Tuesday looked marginally better, and was our only other option.
A little rain never hurt anyone! Meredith on her new perch!
Sure enough, we woke to a steady downpour and wind on Sunday, so we decided to postpone for a day and hope for the slight change predicted in the weather report. I PROMISED the distressed Meredith that we would go the next day, rain or shine. It looked like we would get wet no matter what, but we’ve got trips and day-camps and visitors for the next few weeks, so it was now or never. Anyway, we’re tough! We’re Alaskan! If you don’t camp in the rain in Alaska, you never camp!
So… Monday morning at the house was not raining, just overcast and gloomy, but as Dan drove us up to drop us off at the trail head, it began to rain… so we donned our rain gear and hiked our way up in the wind and rain. Turns out that Meredith and I can hike nearly the same speed, as long as I’m weighed down by everything we need—clothes, food, kitchen, tent, and sleeping gear! By the time we neared the top, the wind was howling and it was raining sideways and freezing cold, so we didn’t want to stop for lunch—we just ate our apples on the hoof.
When we got to the lake, we found a slightly protected spot near the lake and set up the tent. Meredith was a big help with the tent in the wind and rain—and I was reminded afresh how demoralizing it is to set up one’s tent in a downpour (those huge drops splatting on the parts that are supposed to be DRY), but we managed. We changed into warm dry clothes and huddled inside our tiny tent, eating our yummy cheese and avocado sal-wiches (Can you see the green smears on Meredith’s face in the photo, below?), and then snuggled into our sleeping bags to get warm. I will forever be grateful that Meredith actually offered to let me put my frozen hands on her warm little tummy to warm them up. Am I a lucky mom, or what?
Alison and Meredith snuggle in
Lo and behold, the rain let up a bit, so after our lunch snuggle we set out for a little adventure around the lake and on the tundra in a mild drizzle. We had hot chocolate at tea time. By dinnertime it had all but stopped raining, better luck!! We boiled up our Annie’s mac & cheese with green beans, and then we both fell into our sleeping bags after a story and some card games. Meredith went to sleep right away after dinner, but then woke up again at 8pm and couldn’t go back to sleep for a long time because of the bright daylight—so I read more chapters of our book, she ate a bowl of leftover mac & cheese, and finally she conked back off.
On Tuesday morning we woke up to a brighter overcast day, which was lovely. We enjoyed our morning hot chocolate, then oatmeal with raisins for breakfast, and then hiked back down to meet Dan, on his way up the trail to meet us. I’m so proud of Meredith, hiking like a trooper and enjoying her first backpacking trip even in marginal weather!
Sleeping in Tents- with a baby
Heading out for our first overnight in a tent
Date: May 29
Weather: low 50s, light breeze, occasional light precip
Location: Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
Baby gear: Sherpani ultralight pack
Baby clothes: underneath cotton pants and long sleeved onesie; on top wool sweater coat with hood, fleece pants, fleece hat, fleece mittens, wool socks, wool mittens over the socks as booties
Date: May 30
Weather: low 50s, steady rain
Location: Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
Baby gear: Sherpani ultralight pack
Baby clothes: cotton pants and long sleeved onesie; on top thick fleece coat with hood, fleece hat, fleece mittens, wool socks, wool mittens over the socks as booties
Thanks to Peter, we finally loaded up and headed off…several hours later than planned. There was nursing, and then a nap, and then fussing around thinking through contingencies. And thinking through packing.
Whatever else a baby backpack provides…mobility with a child, security of harness attachments, rain shield…it does not provide a lot of room for anything extra. I had most of the baby clothes packed in the bottom of the Sherpani, but not all. Peter had everything else. Good thing he is used to it from the Arctic last summer when he carried extra because I was pregnant…but it’s still a heavy pack! We had stopped in Port Angeles to fill out our permits and get the bear barrels…and also brought Ursacks, the Kevlar bear bags, because it seemed to make sense we should store food and diapers similarly.
But with driving, stops for nursing and diapers and permits (and our dinner), we didn’t get to Rialto Beach until 8 PM. “The sun doesn’t set for an hour and a half,” Peter noted. That’s code for suggesting it might be ok to start hiking despite the late hour. “OK, let’s give it a go,” I conceded. “I just want the tent to be up before dark.”
With the two of us, we wouldn’t have blinked; we’ve hiked in many miles to camp after dark in pouring sleet enough times for a while it was becoming a habit. A baby has a way of changing one’s perspective though. We are willing to put ourselves through a lot more than we wanted to put Sam through.
Rialto Beach delivers the rugged beauty of the Washington coast, the force of the surf evident in the smoothly shaped rocks and the massive logs sitting as driftwood up against the rainforest. Small rock islands just offshore punctuate the seascape.
We hiked just a mile in, and camped just past Ellen Creek (the earliest place camping is permitted). The Olympic National Park is beautiful, but we definitely had company. Up and down the beach curls of smoke ventured from campfires to the rolling surf. But we arrived late enough to have a chance to just sit and watch the ocean. Sam seemed to like it too. It’s the same white noise as we have played for him earlier as he tried to sleep- the same white noise he heard in his own ocean before he was born. Clouds were coming in- the weather forecast for Sunday had deteriorated significantly- but we watched the stars make their way into the darkening sky one by one. The big dipper pointing home hung just above us.
The three of us crawled into the tent. I had brought Sam’s swaddle and sleep sack, but didn’t sleep well with him in our sleeping bag, worried about him suffocating. Finally- leaving his fleece hat on him, I found a place for him pushed enough out of the bag his face was well clear of the puffs of sleeping bag- and we all slept at least a bit.
By morning the rain had come and settled in, a stead Washington coastal rain which should never surprise anyone venturing anywhere in the PNW. We listened to the rain playing its music on the tent, Sam watching the drops hit and roll down the nylon. The sound of rain on a tent is one of my favorite sounds, and I smiled as broadly as Sam watching him experience it for the first time. With that kind of rain though, we decided to head back to the car. A short hiking trip, but at least a night in a tent!
Recrossing Ellen Creek I opted to wade, as the huge pieces of driftwood were slick in the steady rain. My feet got wet. But it was worth feeling safer, as my center of gravity was so much higher with Sam in the pack. We crunched along the beach of river-smooth rocks, making it back to the car in good time. Sam’s cheeks were red and rain covered, his hair sticking out from under his hat in the curls is makes when it’s wet. He seemed as happy as I was to be outside together, as a family, watching the waves come in and the rain come down.
Rainy hike on Rialto Beach
Learning points:
- Give yourself extra time for everything- driving, packing, setting up- with the baby. It might be possible to force it, but who wants to?
- Bring plenty of burp cloths. Staying dry is a worthwhile effort on the trail, and spit up is just as wet as (and much more predictable than) rain!
- Remember to keep baby clothes and dipaers/wipes in large ziplock bags to keep everything dry
- Bring a toy to hang on the backpack for the baby
- Know that you will judge actions much more conservatively with a baby- and be perfectly ok with that.
- If you are in bear country consider how you will store dirty diapers. We brought plastic bags to tie them in and an Ursack to hang in a tree.
- If you’re nursing, even if you haven’t needed them recently bring extra breast pads. Leaking is harder to manage with fewer clothes.
Gear review:
The Sherpani Ultralight was mostly great. Sam is over 22 pounds and rode securely. The pack sat well on my hips. Storage was so-so, but as good as others I think. The rain cover was not terrific though- it only has plastic on two sides…not the front…and doesn’t stick out very far in front of the baby’s face.
first published on www.aborderlife.com
Preparing for our first baby backpacking trip
Trying out the Sherpani Ultralight in the Kitchen
We’re gearing up for our first REAL backpacking trip with the baby- mind you, several entries behind of hiking with the Bjorn, Snowshoeing with the Bjorn…three trips to remote cabins….but this is the first trip where our planned accommodation is a thin sheet of nylon between us and the elements- us being all three of us!
We asked for the Sherpani backpack for a shower, which my mother-in-law and friends got for us. It has been sitting in the corner, waiting for Sam to be able to sit up and hold his head…Sherpani recommends not putting a baby in before 4 months. Sam’s 5 month strength is enough, though, and he nestled all 22 pounds of himself comfortable in the harness- at least in the house.
It hasn’t been the most beautiful of weeks in Seattle, but the forecast for Forks is cloudy, and then sunny and 60s on Sunday. We’ll try not to have too far to go on Monday when rain is forecast (but there’s a rain hood for the pack!)
Sam’s solids will wait till we get back- thank goodness we’re still breastfeeding!
What we haven’t figured out is how to pack. The baby backpack has enough room for Sam and a few small things (maybe diapers). Apparently P will be carrying everything else. Because we’re headed to a National Park, Teton unfortunately can’t come, or she could help sherpa. So I think we will adjust our expectations, and P will be glad for his recent gym workouts carrying the big pack!
More to follow….
first published on www.aborderlife.com
Overnight in the Snow at Eight Weeks
Snowshoeing at Scottish Lakes, North Cascades
Temperature: 25-30 degrees
Altitude: 5,000 ft.
Gear: Snowshoes, Patagonia R4, hat, gloves, gaiters
Baby clothes: long sleeve fleece onesie with feet, wool socks, hand me down GAP baby fleece suit
The test run was complete. We were ready for the annual pilgrimage to Scottish Lakes.
If you don’t know it, Scottish Lakes High Camp is a grouping of bare bones cabins just past Stevens Pass. Inside each is plywood with a wood stove, propane lights and no running water (though water is available). We normally go to High Camp in December- this was Peter’s tenth trip actually- but we were a little busy with Sam being born mid December this past year, so we reserved for February.
When we arrived in the parking lot, Don and Chris were there with the old, chained suburbans to take us- and the rest of the group going in on the pick up- half way up the mountain where we would meet the snowmobiles. I got to ride in front so I could feed Sam. It turns out that the logging operation has shut down which is kind of nice; Don and Chris lease the land from the mill.
Then we transferred to the snowmobiles. Peter had Sam in the Bjorn, so rode behind the driver on the seat, while I “mushed” on the back of the sled carrying the gear. True to form with motion and vibration, Sam slept like a champ! High Camp lay peaceful under a blanket of snow, dampening any outside concerns and inviting us to retreat.
In the past we have stayed in a larger cabin with a group. Now we had our own. We lay out our sleeping bag, and made Sam a bed on Peter’s duffel with two fleece blankets we brought folded on top.
naptime at the cabin, Scottish Lakes, North Cascades
Temperatures stayed warm for the winter, hovering around 30 during the day, though when we got to the top of a ridge the wind cooled things off quite a bit. We bundled Sam in a fleece onesie with feet, wool socks underneath, and the Gap fleece snowsuit, packed him in the Bjorn inside Peter’s R4, and headed out. I had put together a diaper bag in a small pack I wore- just a few diapers (we use Seventh Generation), a new onesie, Seventh Generation wipes and the diaper pad.
The first day we went out for three and a half hours. Though there are trails at Scottish Lakes, they are not maintained other than by fellow travelers, so we spent about half the time following trails a few folks had snowshoed prior and the other half cutting our own trail following the terrain we wanted to see. Sam slept the whole time, and no diaper changes were required though we were ready! The second day we headed out for two and a half hours on a different route.
Snowshoeing at Scottish Lakes with Sam, 8 weeks old
The trees curled with the weight of the snow forming exquisite shapes of pillowy fiddle ferns, the curve of a violin. The forest was silent. On the edge of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, we snowshoed up ridges logged on one side and standing proud with old growth on the other. Bright green moss shone phosphorescent from the trees beneath the snow. We snowshoed through a magical world. Sam slept, though I like to think he absorbed the sounds of silence, the exhilaration of winter air and muscles straining to push through the deep drifts.
At night we swaddled him around his fleece suit, and he slept six hours straight- the longest he had slept at one time! Peter got up to restart the fire in the woodstove when Sam and I woke to feed him. He was not only warm enough- he may have been too warm in the fleece suit sleeping. The bed made of fleece blankets on the duffle worked perfectly. Our first family trip in the snow- the first of many.
Cabin at Scottish Lakes, North Cascades
We did think of several things we wished we would have done…
Lessons learned:
- Bring a baby thermometer just in case.
- We brought “The Portable Pediatrician” and read several sections.
- Though Sam is breastfed, next time we will bring several days worth of formula and a bottle in case something happens to me.
- Scottish Lakes does not require guests sign out as they leave for the backcountry, but we will make sure we leave word where we are headed even in a controlled area next time.
- Consider a SAT phone (or cell phone if you are somewhere where there is reception) when heading into the backcountry with a baby.
first published at www.aborderlife.com
A few thoughts from readers