Rainier Rained Out

We had reservations to camp this Labor Day at Mt. Rainier with three of Brett's sisters and their families. I was so excited because I've never been there before and couldn't wait to do some hiking and photography in that beautiful setting. Alas, Mt. Rainier had other ideas for us. It was forecast to rain heavily all-day, every day that we were there. So, we canceled our reservations. Instead, we headed to the St. Joe River, near Avery, Idaho with Brett's sister Melissa and her family. It is a very scenic area, which we plan on visiting again.

Kids on the St. Joe

Dad's Hat

Cam was fascinated by the 'cave' in the roots of this massive tree.

We took both the van and the truck, so we could camp comfortably. As it turns out, it was a very good thing we did. As we set up the tent it quickly became apparent that we'd forgotten two of our sleeping bags. Uh, oh! We finally ended up folding the back seat of the van down and putting two kids in there at night with their blankets and Uncle Doug's super warm mission blanket. They were cozy. The tent was less crowded. Everyone was happy!

Our little dirt magnet got this way doing face-down 'dirt angels.'

Mud pies were on the menu.

A stick, water and rocks. Every little boy's dream.

Our campsite was adjacent to the river. The kids spent the lion's share of their time there playing with the rocks and the water. The river was only ankle deep most of the way out, so it was a great place for them to play.

River rock in the rain

Elise on everyone's favorite rock.

The thinking man's way to walk the dog.

Cam

Brett in his element.

Brett and Doug

The light was so nice this day, letting the river rock show its real beauty.

Getting a little support from Dad.

The one disadvantage of our campsite was that Max, Cam and Natalie went through ever-so-many sets of clothing. There were wet socks, jeans, shorts and shirts hanging from clothes lines, branches, chairs and tent poles all over the camp. I had some insight to the pioneer experience as I washed Natalie's filthy clothes on a rock in the river!

Smiley teen and near-teen

Melissa takes her turn with the fish

Good cousins and friends

Run away, fish! The Stokers are on the river!

Cub Scout camp fashion

Love this picture of Brett and Melissa.

Best campfire story of the trip: Brett told about a time when he and Ryan went on a hiking trip together. Brett was 18 or so and only took one pair of shoes with him. They got wet, so he set them by the fire overnight to dry out. When he got up in the morning, he found only one shoe! Next to it was a pile of ash that used to be the other shoe! Fortunately, Ryan was better prepared and had brought a spare pair. Brett had to hike out miles and miles in a shoes that were a half-size too small.

Interrupting Camille's quiet moment with my camera.

Natalie loves Krysten.

Great overlook on the St. Joe.

Was it something I said?

Cool rope bridge we crossed on our way to hike Prospector Trail.

It is way longer and higher than it looks in the first picture.

One of the neat mushrooms we found along the trail.

Freeloader and her dad.

Happy Hikers

Other than a little rain (and Krysten and Tomas's leaky tent), it was a great trip. The oldest five kids played games together, rode bikes, hiked, played on the river and had a great time. Aunt Melissa braided the girl's hair. Cam and Natalie spent most of their time playing with dirt, rocks, sticks, the river and Lucy. We had great camp food and used the dutch oven quite a bit. The adults even got some sleep. Lots of laughter and good memories.