A Woodchuck's Fourth of July

We were feeling antsy-

and more than ready for the summer to get under way-

so rather than wait for our

annual Family Camp to Woodchuck Flats,

we went up early for the 4th!

We arrived late, about 8 o'clock in the evening,

and for some of us,

that proved much to late!

My job was to figure out how to get hot chocolate without a stove!

Mission:  Success!

Dad's job was to figure out how to work my Grandpa's ancient stove.

Mission: Failed!

Lucky for us,

he knows how to build a fire!

So we went old school cooking!

The downside though:

We forgot to bring a chainsaw or an ax!

Which meant we were forced to

manhandle wood to the campsite-

not an easy feat when everything is wet or frozen!

 

As the next day warmed,

all our spirits did too!

Especially when the kids realized
we were surrounded by patches of...

SNOW!

We improvised an ice cooler...

{Samuel was extrememly proud of this!}

...and then scrambled up Longhorn, aka Maddy Mountain.

Back at the camp,

Gabriel ate some forest snacks...

and Isabella created "Maple Syrup Ice"!

I found an awesome reading spot...



...before settling in to cook dinner

ON MY FULLY FUNCTIONING STOVE!

YEA!

We relaxed by the fire...

...while our child laborers were hard at work shucking corn!

Samuel,

leading the kids in the camp songs.

Our favorite, "Picture a Cowboy"!

The next day was "Spa" day,

and the girls got the full treatment at the "salon"!

They needed the pampering too

because we hit the trails again to head to the waterfalls!

We took the "scenic" route,

and braved the brush and natural landscape to get to our destination.

That's a nice way of saying we went the WORST way

and had plenty of scratches to prove it!

Our reward though:

Salami!

And a booger check!

This is one of my favorite shots.

Owen, my pip-squeak of a boy,

rarely sits still anymore.

So this moment is a treasure,

and perfectly captures his growing "boy-ness".

My men.

Samuel,

carefully (and responsibly)

instructing the children on how to start a forest fire

with a magnifying glass.

They were all ears.

THE WATERFALLS!

More specifically, the upper falls!

Ava,

dying to get in.

Don't you dare!

Mama's boys!

Iris,

making the cover of a "Visit Here" mag.

On our way back we cut through the 4-H camp

for a seat on the...seat. 



Before we left,

we visited the swimming hole. 

This spot has been visited by the Elmers

for multiple generations now,

and it's been the recipient of many

cannon balls and other daredevil stunts off it's ledges.

It was crazy to see it raging with wates from the melting snow,

and none of us could imagine surviving a dip in it now.

What a great fourth!

It was different for sure,

but a great way to start off the summer camping season!