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.
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!
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
Snowshoeing at Six Weeks
Our first snowshoe as a trio at six weeks
Temperature: 37 degrees
Gear: Snowshoes, Patagonia R4, hat, light gloves, Baby Bjorn
Baby clothes: onesie with feet (worn inside R4)
Admittedly I’m quite a bit behind on this post. But It’s worthy of returning to …Sam, six weeks old, and our first adventure. Snowshoeing.
Defining adventure with a newborn is tough- because everything qualifies. So I should qualify that the adventures of Sam refer to the more traditional variety…what we thought of as adventures BEFORE Sam, which are translating now into adventures WITH Sam.
Being winter, we thought snowshoeing sounded like a good idea. Relatively easy, depending on the terrain, and straightforward. Besides, with such a mild winter, it couldn’t be that hard. We loaded baby, diaper bag, Baby Bjorn and snow shoes into the car and headed out to Gold Creek just outside of Seattle.
Winter is a bit of a misnomer, at least in its extreme sense. The temperature was almost 40 degrees! An easy trail, warm temperatures- easy! I didn’t account for new mother syndrome though.
Peter parked and turned the car off, leaving his door open to walk around and pull out the snowshoes. Despite the fact that we sleep with our windows open and it was probably right about the same temperature, it occurred to me that it might be chilly for the baby. I also thought that he should be fed. (mind you, we are only going out for an hour and a half or so) I asked Peter to turn the car back on and close the doors. And then I fed Sam. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled out the diaper bag mat and put it on the driver’s seat, leaning over the console to balance Sam so he wouldn’t roll off of the seat while trying to hold up his legs and change the barely damp diaper so we’d be ready to go. I pulled out a new diaper, and realized it was the last one.
“Well, hopefully there are no major events in the next few hours,” I said to Peter, who graciously declined to comment. And then I left the damp diaper out just in the event of an emergency- it would be all we had for the 45 minute drive back to town.
Then we deposited Sam in the Bjorn, who kindly obliged us, and headed out. We were late getting started, part of the piece I hadn’t quite calculated, but that meant that this popular trail was sparsely populated. A few cross country skiers were coming back to the trailhead; we were the only people we saw heading out. The Gold Creek trail is easy and flat. We snowshoed on a firm trail, firm enough to not have needed snowshoes most likely.
Sam cuddled up against Peter in the Bjorn, zipped into Peter’s Patagonia R4. He wore a regular one piece suit with feet since we had planned on his travel inside Peter’s coat, and we judged his warmth by the fact that Peter was sweating and I was warm.
We followed the trail, and veered to the left where it came to a T, following the trail around Gold Creek Pond. We were now the only ones on the trail. The pond was open and the water was calm, reflecting the fir and spruce surrounding it. Steep mountainsides of the Cascades shot up from the forest just beyond the pond. While not frigid, the air was cold and clean, and the snow crunched satisfyingly under our snowshoes.
Back at the car, we couldn’t stop smiling. We did it- the test run was complete. Peter turned on the car to warm it up as soon as we arrived. There were no apparently southerly issues for Sam, who woke groggily as we moved him from the Bjorn to the car seat, and settled back to sleep.
Even with a baby- maybe especially with a baby- we were still living the Border Life.
Lessons learned:
- Always check the diaper bag before leaving the house!
- RELAX. It’s not that big of a deal (at least your first venture out)
- ENJOY! It’s your first venture out!
Originally published at www.aborderlife.com
Novice Mistakes: Facebook Post for 2/4/10
Trying on a hat for size and snowshoeing
Four novice mistakes in four days: 1. bringing baby to party but no diaper bag, 2. snowshoeing bringing baby and diaper bag but forgetting to restock said bag, 3. restocking said bag but only bringing a nightgown for a change of clothes, 4. climbing out of car holding baby in arms and banging head on Thule rack (not dropping baby). Whew. Eventually, we will learn 
A few thoughts from readers