JUST HAVE TO BRAG

 

I just have to brag about Ben and Jonah.

We camped at Devil's Lake State Park the past 4 days.

Ben has always been a very good hiker.  

Jonah is a much improved hiker from last year.  

But the boys did a hike on Tuesday that we could not believe 

they were both able to complete.  

They hiked up and down this trail.  

Some of the "steps" looked like this.

And some were actual steps.

This is what we were hiking to- Balanced Rock.

The park literature states 

"Difficulty: Challenging...A difficult, steep, climbing trail with stone steps on the south face of the East Bluff... .4 mile, Approximate hiking time 1 hour"

Our total journey there and back took 1.5 hours.

The boys showed incredible strength and endurance.  We are so proud of them!

  

Interestingly, Ben was scared going up, and Jonah was more scared going down. 

 

Also, Jonah was pretty tired coming down so he needed lots of encouragement, rest stops, and distractions (ie. singing Beatles songs) to keep him moving. 

 

And shout out to two guys we encountered on the way down the trail.  They were very encouraging to Jonah.   Jonah was in the middle of a sit-down protest because he didn't want to go any further.  The guys told him he was tougher than they were because they hadn't even made it to the top yet.  It is always so nice to encounter people who comfortably interact with our guys. 

This is from our hike on Monday where we hiked along the bottom of the ridge.  I think this photo is funny because it looks like our boys caused an rock avalanche.

I love this photo.  You can really see the love between these two.  

Sometimes it just hits me how cool it is that these two goofy guys have each other.  

REASONS I LIKE CAMPING

 

For those who know me, I won't be the first person you would think of who would love camping.  I don't like bugs, I don't like chaos, I don't like to be too hot, and I don't like public restrooms.  

So why in the world do I like camping?  

Here is the mystery revealed:

1. Wisconsin State parks are awesome!  So many pretty trails and lots of nice campsites.

2. My "to do" list is much smaller when camping:    

    a. Meal prep/clean up

    b. Watching the boys

    c. 5 minute cleaning of the camper each day

3. Plus there are items on my camping "to do" list which rarely get included in a day at home:

    a.  Take a hike

    b. Go to the beach

    c. Get ice cream

    d. Read a book

    e. Watch a movie

    f. Take a nap

    g. Play a card/board game

                Notice that absent from this list is laundry, whole house pick up,                         yardwork (for Andrew), errands, therapy appointments, and book                         work.

4. Nobody cares what you look like when you are camping!

5. Falling to sleep with nature sounds surrounding you on all sides of the camper is really cozy!

6. The boys love camping, and it's fun to watch them have an activity they love and are good at.

7. I'm quite spoiled being able to camp in our nice camper instead of a tent. 

8. When I get home, my normal house seems like a palace. 

9. Hiking and biking are good healthy activities for all of us. 

10.  Good reminder of God’s glory and majesty as I enjoy the beauty of His creation. 

Here's to another summer of hopefully great camping memories!