Our Family: Granddaddy Basin

I finally had a chance to take some kids out backpacking. Last year was a dud and the year before wasn't a successful trip so it was about time to get back out there. Angie doesn't seem to grasp the appeal since she compares it to being homeless with all your belongings strapped to your back. I really wanted to try Granddaddy Basin since it wasn't too hard of a hike to get into and it would be ideal for someone going for the first time. Zac would obviously go and Carter said that he wanted to as well. Gavin would have to wait until next year since his legs are shorter and I'm running out of backpacking equipment. Abbi forgot that she once told me that she never wanted to go backpacking again so she was left at home as well. Blake, he was left home because he needed his naps.
I soon discovered, however, that my backpacking equipment was getting old and there was a shortage of backpacks and sleeping bags. It got expensive in a hurry but I'm sure it will pay off throughout the next several years with our excursions and the boys' scouting activities.

I had a great plan of leaving at 8:30 in the morning to hit REI as they opened to rent a sleeping bag for Carter. We left at 9:45 instead, went to the wrong REI store (they moved all of their rentals to the Salt Lake store), and had to stop for lunch on the way to the trailhead. We finally got at the trailhead at 2:00. Fortunately we weren't the only ones with a late start as there was a group of boy scouts (with alpacas) and a party of two girls that we parked next to. Carter was excited about the trip but he had no idea what was in store for him. Zac was excited because there was somebody younger than him on the trip and he could be some type of mentor.

We started on the trail and took breaks every 20 minutes (the first 2.5 miles were uphill). At the top we caught a glimpse of the basin and continued down. Carter tripped once and although he got scraped up he quickly wiped away the tears and kept on going. Toward the end of the hike Zac discovered that water weighed 8 pounds per gallon. He was excited to use his new water reservoir that is used in backpacks and filled it all the way up. His shoulders were on fire by the time we reached camp. I originally planned to stay near Lodgepole Lake but chose Granddaddy instead. We stumbled onto an awesome campsite and there was nobody within sight or earshot. We quickly set up camp, cooked dinner, and got 10 minutes of fishing in. I caught a small cutthroat trout and we all caught hundreds of mosquitoes. I brought out the water filter and after 5 strokes it broke! I was so upset but realized I shouldn't expect more out of something that was nearly 20 years old. Angie ended up saving the day because she gave me a filter straw thing for my birthday. When I originally saw it I thought "when am I going to use this? I've got a water filter!" I was glad we had it. We also ended up having to boil water to drink.

Hitting the trail

On the boardwalk

Plenty of soggy meadows and cheesy smiles

Despite sore shoulders Zac reached the far side of the lake where we camped.

Boiling water

Carter admiring the tent

The next morning I wandered from camp while the boys were asleep and found a beautiful vista off of a ledge. During breakfast the boys came over and we sat and talked about the lakes and forest we could see and how beautiful an earth God created for us. The boys agreed to go on a day hike and we set off for Fern Lake. The lake was off the trail so we ventured off and the boys discovered it was alot easier to hike on a trail than bushwhack. Carter and Zac did a great job scrambling up the steep slopes and maneuvering over, around, and under the numerous fallen trees. We finally descended onto a small lake/huge pond and according to the GPS we were short of the lake. We decided to trust the GPS and kept on bushwhacking. We finally descended onto Fern Lake and it was a welcome sight. We scrambled over to the other side because Zac wanted to try his hand at fly fishing. We ate a quick lunch and afterward it started to lightly rain. We saw dark clouds on the horizon and quickly made some unsuccessful casts so that it was worth bringing the fishing poles. We headed back to camp a different route using the GPS. The boys were getting tired not long after leaving, mostly due to all of the fallen trees. When we finally hooked back up with the trail they were glad. Not long after being on the trail I looked at the GPS and it had died. I was very grateful that it lasted long enough to keep us from getting lost. It still hasn't worked since.

After getting back to camp we were all exhausted and we ended up taking a nap. When we were awoken by thunder we quickly crammed everything in the tent and endured a hail/rain storm. We were grateful that it passed quickly and we ate dinner and ended the night playing card games in the tent.

The next morning we admired the sunrise on our favorite perch. Zac and Carter could only talk about what time we would arrive home if we left at 9:00, 10:00, or 11:00. I think they were ready to get back to normal life. We packed up camp and hiked out. Carter did a great job for his first hike and only started to fall apart during the last 1/2 mile. We were fortunate to leave before a rainstorm came. The oddest thing of the trip happened as we sat in the truck eating our lunch before we left. I heard voices approaching the truck and it was the girls that we parked next to that were returning from their hike. They ended up doing a twenty mile loop and it was strange how we left at the same time, went on different routes, and ended up returning at the same time. On the way home we got our traditional post-backpacking milkshakes and soon got home to rest our sore, mosquito bitten bodies. Looking forward to the next trip.