Day one:

I woke at 5:00am to beat everyone else to the shower and have some time to myself. After my shower Alex woke and then we went and got Sadie and Toby. We had to wait for Toby because he hadn't been awake when we got there and Sadie had had to go get him up. After Toby got up we got their stuff ready and headed back home to get all the other stuff packed up and in the Ford. We did that (we meaning Alex and Toby) and then hit the road.

 

We stopped at a Wal*Mart to get some last minute things and a sandwich for lunch. We ate our sandwiches in the parking lot and then got back to driving. We got to GrandJean around 3:00 or 4:00 and after some thought on where we wanted to be (we were the only ones there so we got first pick on campsites) we started getting set up. Alex and Toby were to share one tent and Sadie and I the other, while Mom, Dad, and the boys would all share the big one. Toby said Sadie and I had to set up our own so we set to doing that. After about 30 minutes of failure on our part Toby came over and started doing it for us without saying a word. He was very nice about it and didn't tell us we were dumb because we couldn't do it ourselves. So he got it set up and then we had dinner. Dad made hamburgers and chicken, and boy was it good! We then, of course, had marshmallows and then went to bed.

 

Day two:

 

We got up early due to cold weather and had a breakfast of oat meal. After breakfast we packed our lunches and water bottles and got ready for our two mile hike to the lake. We all set out with happy minds and ready legs. We could hardly wait for the hike! After about a half an hour we stopped to have a snack and a break. I took some pictures (so did Toby, who turns out likes to take pictures too) and then we were off again. We went on like this for a while, hiking, then resting, hiking, then resting. We did this for the whole morning. We were pretty sure we would reach the lake by noon and eat then. Toby and I were watching our water supply pretty good because we didn't want to run out. The boys were drinking theirs as if it had no end.

 

By noon we were all growing a little tired of the uphill hike and the many creeks we had to jump over. Dad took a look at his map and said he thought we were almost there, so we all said we would rather wait to eat til we got to the lake. We went on like this for some time more before coming to a sign that stated that we were half way there! We were all very upset because by this time it was about 2:00 in the afternoon! So after some harsh looks at the evil sign we set off thinking that we could make it to said lake in no time. (by this time we were pretty sure it was not a two mile hike!).

 

On we hiked, we hiked, and hiked, and hiked. We came to a spot where it was nothing but burnt forest and rocks. Sadie started saying that she didn't care about the lake and just wanted to go back to camp. Toby, however, said that he would not hear of it and that he thought we should carry on. (Dad and Mom were always behind us so we had lots of time to talk about these things on our own). We teased each other about the water supply of each person and then after hearing Dad agree with Toby (and myself) we went on. We went on through the "black forest" for some time before the trail came to a end due to that fact that it could no longer be seen under the snow. Dad and Toby marched on and we all followed. (some of the followers were not so eager, but I won't use names). We marched without a trail fore some time and then began to climb. We had to climb the hill side to get to the other side. By this time my legs were giving out on me and would not do what I told them to. Sadie, Dad, Toby, Mikhail, and I made it to a rocky spot very near the top and then Dad said it was too risky to have us go any further on the melting snow just to find a lake that might be a few more miles away. Sadie was the first to give a whoop and say that she didn't mind turning back without reaching the lake. Toby gave the top one last look and then said "yeah, I guess we'd better go back now". By now it was about four and everyone was ready to eat "lunch". So we found a comfy rock and had our lunch. Toby and I drank our saved water and then we headed back.

 

The trip back was almost fun. It was just Alex, Toby, Sadie, and myself in the lead. We went on for a long time with no breaks for fear of sitting and not being able to get back up. My ankles hurt, my leg hurt, and my feet were screaming "you idiot! what were you thinking?!" but it was fun. I only stumbled once, and I didn't even hit the ground. I was very proud of myself and of my "hiking buddies". The four of us made it back first and had a nice sit-down to talk about our hurting arms, legs, and other body parts. Not long after that Toby and Alex said they should go get some wood and start a fire for making dinner. While they were gone poor little Mikhail hobbled into the campsite and Sadie and I began to clap. He began to cry and then went into the tent and I heard a "thud!" and knew he had hit the sleeping bag with no notion of getting up for a long time. After that came Dad. We gave him a hand and he gave us a bow. Then Mom and Ian. When we clapped for them they smiled and then hit the chairs with a "thud!" very much like the one we had heard Mikhail make. Alex and Toby came back with the firewood and we had hot-dogs. Then we all got ready to go to the hot springs nearby. On the way Alex, Toby and myself talked about the hike. We think it was a ten mile hike and all that two mile junk was a as-the-crow-flies kinda thing.

 

We got to the hot springs to rest our weary bones. But it was in vain. The hot springs were either too hot or not hot enough. We tried and tried to make them work. Alex and Toby did some "fixing" on them but it did no good. At length we turned back and went to bed with sore muscles and heavy eyelids.

 

Day three:

 

We woke late and had a slow morning. Everyone was just getting back to normal after a nine hour hike and a pretty restless night. We made up our minds that a day at the pool was a good idea, so everyone got ready for the pool and in the truck in a flash. We went down and were happy to find that nothing was going to go wrong with this plan. We payed (and were glad to find that the nice people that run the place gave us a discount on the pool rate) and then got on in, and boy-oh-boy! Did it feel good! We swam all day and only stopped to eat and then get back in. We had a blast playing with the water noodles and making fun of how Toby's hair looks when it's wet. After all that we went back and had a yummy dinner of BBQ chicken, beans, and potatoes made by Alex and Toby. Sadie and I then did the dishes and had our marshmallows and then went to bed.

 

Day four:

 

We woke and had some of Dads yummy eggs, beacon, and ham. We then sat around and did a whole lot of nothing. We played trackball, catch, and had some water-gun fights. Sadie and I read in the tent until it got too hot and then went and read in the shade. Mom and Dad said that we were going to go down the road to see if we could find a hot springs in one of the other campgrounds. We got ready and headed off for the next campground. We got there and hiked down to the hot springs and looked for a good pool. Alex and Toby did the testing and found one to be too hot and another to be too cool. We sat in the cooler one for a while and then went to find Mom and Dad. They were sitting in the 'too hot one' and Mom said you just needed to get used to it. We all slowly made our way in and got settled. It felt good at first but then got to be too much on the hot day. We packed up and headed down the road to get an ice cream. We then went back to camp and relaxed the rest of the day. Sadie and Ian went on a little hike on the other side of the creek (a hike meaning they climbed one side of a hill and then came back down a little ways to the East of where they had gotten up). Mikhail played a card game with Alex. If he won he got to stay in Alex and Toby's tent, if Alex won Mikhail didn't get to stay. Mikhail won. We then went to bed and Sadie watched a movie on the mini DVD player while I read my book in the light from the lantern.

 

Day five:

 

We packed up (we meaning Alex and Toby again) and headed back. We got back around 2:00 and crashed on the couch for a while before taking Toby and Sadie home.

 

It was a great trip! I had a blast and was very proud of myself for making the "ten mile hike" (we still don't know how long it was, but it wasn't two miles, that's for sure!)  and I was happy that Sadie and Toby had come. They made it even better, they gave us even more memories and funny stories to tell. I had a wonderful time but am glad to be back to my shower and soft bed. Call me a wimp if you want, but I did go on the hike, and I did make it back all in one piece. So that's all for now. I hope I didn't bore you to death. Later!

 

Nikki