Intimidating. Very. I had put this trip off for awhile. I figured I wasn't ready to go without precious sleep for three days. Nor had I the mental faculties to cope with sunscreen duty, water safety, packing and unpacking, extreme filthiness . .
But we did it. And I have no regrets. Yeah, it was hard. There was so much to get organized. Gabriel did, indeed, keep escaping, {and had to be repeatedly warned away from the hatchet.} Isaiah woke us three times a night with a newly cultivated, high-pitched scream. And we have yet to recover our energy. But we were all together. We crammed our offspring into that tent like little squirmy sardines. We got dirty. We ate sticky, gooey things that stayed on our fingers for days. We swam like "fishes" and stomped around with crazy hair. We played games and remembered to take the time to look up at the stars. We reveled in our oneness. The pack mentality I have longed to nurture into our family was made manifest. And I delightedly reminded myself that these little people are mine to care for during these brief and beautiful days.
*Silver Lake*{Site #108}
::Uniquely perched high on a grassy knoll::
::Pros: It's cool to be perched. It's well shaded. It's steps from the beach::
::Cons: Noise rises. It's a steep haul from the van to the site. There isn't a close bathroom. But, hey, squatting in the bushes is part of the camping experience::
We've been contemplating sites #112 and #113 for next year.
