Our Ward Campout

Needless to say, we had a great time. It didn't rain at all Friday morning as I was loading the truck so my spirits were high. By the time we got all packed up and on our way we could see the dark clouds and yuck in the distance over the mountains we were headed for. It rained and sprinkled and rained and sprinkled all the way up. We got to the camp-site around 2:00. Brother Olsen informed us that they had a pretty good down pour a bit earlier so we hopefully caught the "break". We started setting up immediately hoping to "beat the rain". We succeeded. It just trickled and sprinkled a bit while we set up. The kids played in the empty tent for a while and that was nice while we got everything else pulled together. By the time we were done there were blue skies and it was too warm for the jackets. Yeah!!! It was such a nice camp spot. It was in a bit of a valley with the dirt road along one side and a fairly nice flat grassy area along the other side. Most of the families had their tents or trailers over on the grassy side. It was great because the kids just climbed and explored and got sooooo super muddy all over that hill. There were a couple awnings set up to make the food but by the time we needed to cook it was nice and sunny. The food was fabulous and the company was better. We had a little fireside activity with singing and s'mores. Oh, and as a side note, I did win first place in the dutch oven cook off. I fixed stuffed pork roast. (Thanks for the recipe Kat) I also fixed potatoes and pineapple upside down cake. They were all so yummy. I want to try the cake in the oven at home and see if it turns out the same because it is soooo good. So the weather stayed great until about 10:00 that night. It rained a bit but not enough to make it an issue while we slept. The bishopric fixed a great breakfast of french toast, bacon, ham, eggs and juice.

Then we all went on a "hike" to a cave. I say "hike" because I would call it something more like an endurance test. The trail down was a 4-wheeler trail so there was no vegetation, just mud. The mud was thick and sticky. It added an extra couple pounds to each foot as you walked. They say it was a 1/2 mile down but I think it was longer. We got to a resting place that was kind of on top of the mouth of the cave so we still couldn't see it. We then had to hold on to some ropes and very slowly shimmy down the side of the mountain to get to the opening. It was hard work and kind of scary with the four little kids. Desi was in the back pack so I was worried she would throw off Gary's balance and he was also trying to hold onto Benji. I had a hold of Andrew and he kept slipping because of all the mud stuck up in the traction of his shoes. We finally made it and it was worth the climb. It was huge, with a deep, deep mouth. Bro. White said it went back 15 or so miles but it wasn't safe to go more than the first 300 feet. There were "showers" falling and dripping from the ceiling and the floor was just covered with rocks. Most all of the kids had flashlights and the ward gave them glow-sticks. It was really neat. Then we had to climb back out. Gary asked me, "Do you want Desi in the pack or to carry Andrew?" I thought, "I just pushed and pulled Andrew out of the cave, I don't want to have to carry him all the way back up the mountain to the car." "I'll take Desi." hehehe I was so wrong. We strapped Desi on my back and off I went. I only lasted maybe five minutes and I thought I would either pass out or my legs would fall off. You know that feeling when your legs start to get wobbly and your not sure you can stand anymore? I called to Gary and said, "I'm done." Just then Brother White came from behind me and offered to take her. I definitely wasn't going to argue. So I strapped her on him and off he went. Gary carried Andrew on his shoulder all the way out so I don't know what we would have done without the help. We finally made it out and headed back to camp. We packed up and came home to just sit and rest from an exhausting but way fun little trip. All my worry and frustration about the weather was for not. It was great!