After all the discussion, Dave asked, "So once we've paddled in and set up our campsite, what will we actually DO for the next three days?" Great question. (I was secretly praying that the weather would be nice so we wouldn't be playing cards in our tents the whole time. Been there.)
There are always little nooks and crannies to explore close by. In this case, we had cliffs that we could hike to back behind our campsite. The kind that just dare you to jump...
We found a hiking trail on the map and poked around a bit, and explored a few other areas on the lake.
We watched the wildlife go by and took pictures and swam. (For the record, my brother took more pictures than I did! Who knew it was possible?)
We played card games and dice games and trivia games. Once when we were playing the card game "Rage", someone was taking a long time before making their play. Another player said, "Come on, we don't have all day! ...Well...actually, I guess we do." Ahh, life without watches!
And we read and napped in the hammock and cooked yummy food over the fire, watched sunrises, sunsets and gazed at the stars.
The whole time we were so aware of the Creator God who made all of these wonders, and truly appreciated his attention to every detail.
It was a huge blessing to have this time with Dave, Joey and Jacob. Their family has spent the vast majority of our kids' lives in West Africa, so all of our time with them is precious. Joey has been in college in the U.S. for four years and has stayed with us a few times, but this is the first concentrated time with Jake and Uncle Dave. Jake heads off to college himself this week, and Joey to Navy Officer Training School next week, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect. We thank God for them and the fine young men that they are. They are awesome examples for our kids. They helped make this trip all I had dreamed of...and more!
5 comments:
Sounds AWE.SOME! I'm glad that I'll have your posts to look back on when we are planning OUR trip (in say, 7 years or so).
Three days in the wilderness. I'm so impressed Tracy. The pictures are amazing. I know you all made memories for a long time. I know you are so proud of your nephews. Glad you were able to do this together.
Joy
STOP WITH THE BEAUTIFUL MINNESOTA OUTDOOR PICTURES!!!! You're KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!
;)
I'm totally NOT a camping kind of girl (way too woosie for that!), but gosh, all THIS looks wonderful - all this beauty & water & gameplaying & exploring & no-rush-all-day-ness ...
perhaps if I could guarantee that the bugs would be elsewhere and bring someone to plan/bring/cook/clean-up the food ... well, then maybe I *would* be a camping kinda gal???
Awesome! I haven't got the skills necessary to do this thing, but maybe my children are just too young to go without amenities for that long. I am sure we'd run out of clean clothes on the first day.
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