Lizard Creek with the fam

Last time we camped at the perfect campsite in Lizard Creek. That particular site was reserved so my mom found a different group of sites that was a little isolated from the rest of the campers. And what do you know, but this site was perfect too. We didn't have any neighbors so we could let the kids run around without worry. Kelton brought his new ninja line and we found some great trees to support it. All of the kids played for hours on that line in ninja land. 

I think all of us brought hammocks, so once we set them all up we also had a fabulous hammock land. 

For those who didn't want to climb or swing we set up chairs for chair land.  

In years past this camp site is normally right on the lake. We had counted on being able to play on the water, but it wasn't to be. The lake has been drained in the last year or two so instead of being next to the water, we were next to a new meadow. The sunsets from this meadow were just as pretty as the sunsets from the beach.  

Most of the time spent at camp was simple: playing games, doing crafts, making flower crowns. 

But we were lucky to also celebrate a birthday!  It was Faye's birthday and Hannah made it special. We decorated the campsite with streamers, put on our party hats, and had our noise makers ready to party. She also brought a pinata and each kid had a turn taking a whack at it. 

We had a few memorable moments. There were some spiders by the bathroom and to help Daxton's fear, he and Jeremy would feed the spider every time they came by. 

A bear was spotted in the meadow so we had to make sure things were buttoned up tight. Luckily our kids were really good at making noise anyway so we didn't have to get out our pots and pans. On one of our date night walks Jeremy and I found fresh bear prints and I wondered if it was the same bear out visiting.

 Grandma Stratford came with us and it was wonderful spending time with her.

  Really I just loved spending the week up there and I was so sad to go home! 

Jenny Lake and Hidden Falls

We wanted to make sure that we explored new trails this trip in addition to visiting our old favorites. Jenny Lake is simply stunning. Last time we walked along a trail next to the lake just enjoying the view. This time I really wanted to see some of the waterfalls on the other side of the lake. There are two ways to get there, the first is you simply walk the whole way which makes cut a five mile hike minimum. The other way is to pay for the boat shuttle which takes you to the other shore and shortens the bike dramatically to only a one mile hike. We all met at the shore of the lake for a family picture before starting on our adventures.

 Alan and Hannah's family opted to stay right there and enjoy the view. Camille and Jake took their family across on the ferry before hiking. Jeremy and I decided to challenge our kids and told them they were doing to whole hike. Cambrie, Peyton, McKenzie and Kelton didn't want to walk at Daxton's speed, so we told them to meet us at Hidden Falls.  Jeremy decided maybe they should have some parental supervision and hurried forward to catch them. Meanwhile Daxton, my mom and I slowly followed. As long as Daxton has his CamelBak and can walk at his own pace, he really enjoys hiking. He likes the quiet. He likes spending time with us. He likes being outside. So we enjoyed our time knowing we'd meet up with the rest of the family. 

I was surprised when Jeremy came running back saying he couldn't find the kids. There are a lot of different trailheads from the ferry landing on the other side of the lake, and he was afraid they had become lost. I wasn't as worried, but I wasn't the one running extra like trying to find them. When we made it to Hidden Falls, there they were waiting for us. "Great, let's go," they said. They had been waiting for about a half hour and were ready to go back. But Daxton needed a break so I made them wait. It sounded like they met up with the Thurstons while they were waiting. After another family picture I let the girls start walking back.

 Jeremy started back down with the boys. And my mom and I continued up to Inspiration Point. It made me want to do some more grown up hiking!  

It didn't take us long to catch up to the boys and we made it back to the visitors center in no time. When we found the girls they were very chipper. I was glad that they had finally decided to enjoy the experience. Come to find out, they had ended up begging for passage on the boat with the Thurstons and didn't have to hike back at all!  Cambrie had forged the boarding stamps and had planned on stowing away. Jake decided that he would pay for them and save their souls instead. Oh boy!  I was just super proud of my boys for making the long trek. The waterfalls we beautiful and I was so glad to make it out there.

String Lake

One of our favorite places from our last visit was String Lake and we really wanted to share it with the rest of our family. We brought our paddle boards and life jackets and were ready to spend the day at the lake. After the walk to the lake we started ferrying everyone across to the island. 

What we had failed to realize is that there wasn't a good place for a base camp over there for everyone. Kids kept poking themselves with sticks and falling down.  I took the boys exploring on the island and we found some great boulders to scamper over but that was it.  

The best place to be really was on the water, but we didn't have enough water crafts for all of us.  When you're out there on the water it is one of the most peaceful feelings. The water is calm and clear. The majestic mountains are reflected in the surface. And it is absolutely silent. It's incredible. 

Once everyone was ready to go we started packing up. We tried something new this time however and had the boards float down the river back to the car with most of the kids, while the rest of us hauled the bulkier gear down the trail. Looking out at the three boats it looked like they were ready to go explore the wilderness. It looked so cool.

Terraced Falls

One hike that my mom hoped to take us on was terraced falls.  It seemed like a good route for our whole crew with a waterfall view reward at the end. As we were driving to the trailhead we stopped at Grassy Lake to stretch our legs.  Jeremy found a lake overflow area with a tree situated perfectly like a ladder to climb down and explore. So the girls climbed down to explore.  

The rest of the crew chose to skip rocks at the lake with pretty good success.  

As we were playing, we noticed a storm starting to blow in. It was enough to discourage most of the families from continuing on and they went back to camp. We took our family, plus Peyton and my mom, to find the trailhead. 

It was a pleasant walk and we even had a river crossing which was fun. But after we had made it about a mile my mom took a closer look at her map and realized we had made a wrong turn. We weren't on the train we had intended, even if we were enjoying it. So we turned around to head back to where we branched off.

 The kids decided that they were getting tired and didn't want to try hike 2.0.  They went back to the car while my mom, Jeremy and I went to a quick overlook to enjoy some of the waterfalls we missed. It was so pretty and I think I would've liked to see the rest of the trail!

Grand Teton views

We're back!  Oh I love the Tetons!  I can't get enough of the view of those striking mountains.  This year we met up with the rest of the Johnson fam for a week of camping and just hanging out.  Jeremy and I took advantage of the early mornings to get some training in. One morning we went exploring for a trail run. The trail was sometimes well traveled, but just as often it was really hard to see and we had to follow bent blades of grass for direction. The meadows we ran through were beautiful. We had to cross a river at one point, and at another point slow to a walk since the trail was so steep. I wanted to stop and take pictures but I was sightly afraid of a bear finding us, and more annoyed at the mosquitoes that would attack whenever we slowed down. Back at camp we learned that we had made an error running through those fields, my legs were covered in hives!  I used soap, medicine, lotion, and cream to help. Luckily they had recovered by the end of the day. 

Another morning we took our bikes out and rode. The shoulder is so smooth and wide, it is some of the best and most beautiful riding I've had.  If only all my training was this gorgeous.

Everytime I turned around there was another perfect picture waiting to be taken.  These views simply don't get old.