My body is still trying to catch up with the past few days of camping.

Tony Grove was our destination camp area and we reserved our three camp spots way back in early February.  That campground fills up very fast and if you want to have a place to camp you will have to do as we did early.  The campground sits at nearly 9,000 feet above sea level, is located on a hill at the south east side of the lake.  The campsites are very clean, level and quiet.  Even with hundreds of other campers around you it is still a nice place just to sit in the shade and take a nap.

View from West Side looking North

The kids really loved the camping this year as we tried to mix things up from what we have done in previous visits to the lake.  Mom (Sherry) and I decided we would like to hike over to another small lake nearby.  White Pine Lake.   The trail is very well defined and it just didn’t seem like it would be a long hike.  4.25 miles.  That is only eight trips around the blocks at home and if we stop often we should be alright with the hike.  I’ll bet even little 3 year old Chase can make that hike.

Having never been there it has always been on my list of things I would like to do someday.  Yes, we are getting older, but it will never be any easier than right now.  So let’s do it!  We hear the lake is quite pretty.  And the hike can’t be all that bad, heck even one of Sherry’s co-workers hiked it just a few weeks after having knee surgery.

So, on the first full day of our camping trip we all decided to make the hike.  We loaded up all the hydration packs we had in camp (5), stuffed a few extra bottles of water here and there, loaded up pockets and packs with candy, licorice,  trail mix and headed off.  All 12 of us plus two dogs on leashes.

As we proceeded we realized that perhaps we should have left earlier in the day as it was 11 a.m. and already quite warm.  But our spirits were high and we trudged along merrily.  Suddenly after only going about a mile we ran into a sign that showed a split in the trail.  One goes to Mount Naomi, the tallest peak in the area, the other to White Pine Lake.  The sign says 3.8 miles to White Pine lake.  Are we there yet?

Two of the kids decide they have had enough and so Angela has to go back with them.  Now there are just 9 of us and the two dogs.  Off we go!

It didn’t take too long for this old man to realize that perhaps we have bitten off a bit much to chew.  But still we go on.  The dogs are huffing and puffing and need water every now and again, just like we do.  The kids with their individual hydration packs are not feeling any of the pains us old folks are and they are sipping and talking and hiking along quite well.  Our string of hikers is beginning to stretch out along the trail.

It is a very pretty hike with lots of scenery to be seen.  We managed to see a few deer and I think I caught a glimpse of an elk, but not real sure, (it could have been Sasquatch, only reddish brown).

As we rested in the shade, Mitch (who has been there many times) assures us we are just about to reach the summit and that it is all downhill from there to the lake.  Just another mile to the lake.  Just think, that is just one trip around the blocks back home.  We can do this.

We did in fact reach a summit and started a winding decent down into the valley on the other side of the mountain from Tony Grove Lake.  I was conserving my water in my hydration pack because I knew we were going to be needing it for the kids.  They were already beginning to make statements about almost being out of water in their packs.  Sherry only had about 1/2 bottle of water left in her pocket and I had no idea about the rest of the adults and their water situations.

It took us just over 2 1/2 hours to finally make it to the lake.

In this picture Sherry is physically dragging.  Totally exhausted and ready for a helicopter to come and pick her up.  Earlier in the hike she made a comment to April about the Biggest Loser show and how those big people hike up to the top of a mountain and are all grinny faced to have made it.  She said, she knows dang good and well they don’t make them hike back down that mountain.

And so, we took a well deserved break from our hike.  The kids waded in the cold water.  The dogs did the same, lapping nearly the entire lake dry as they went along.  And us adults sat mostly silent contemplating the long hike back to camp.

We ate up almost all of the snacks and trail mixes we brought and then surveyed our water situation.  Each adult has “some” water left and we would share with the kids on the hike back.  Everyone, including the kids were informed to take small sips when it came time for drinks because it was all the water we had between us all.

Back on the lake shore we made the best of our situation and took a few pictures.

Ma, Pa and MaPas

Dad is making sure Addies feet are dry before putting her shoes back on.  We don’t want anyone getting blisters because of wet feet.  Sydnie looks like she could take a nap about right now.  But, we need to get moving.  It’s just after 2 p.m. and if we hurry (ya right), we should be able to be back at camp by 6.

Sherry decided it would be a good idea if she held onto MaPas leash for the trip back up the switchbacks from the lake to the summit.  He pulls like a little trooper as long as his attention span is on the trail and it would help her get up the hill.  One step at a time!

All of us out of shape old people are hurting.  Especially in the hips.  Every step is painful especially the down hill ones and wouldn’t you know it, the bulk of the trip back is down hill.

Right from the get go, Mitch and the two youngest kids are far out distancing the rest of us.  And we last see them as they hike along when we are just beginning the ascent up the switchbacks.  Brandon and April along with the two older kids are also getting on up the trail a good distance from Mom and me.  I tell Sherry to just take her time and stop as often as she wants, we are in no hurry, we just need to get back sometime before 2 p.m. on Saturday when we have to check out of our campsite.  Today is Thursday.

We meet several groups of people as they are hiking toward the lake,  we take notice and comment to each other on the fact that none of them are carrying any water with them.  How do they do it?  It must be 90 degrees outside and only scattered shade.  And with those thoughts we come back to our own situation of nearly being out of water and what water there is in the hydration pack is hot.  Oh well, it’s all we got.

Brandon, April and the two kids wait patiently for us to reach a shady spot and are ready to get going when we finally arrive.  Sherry is very red faced and says she is seeing bright lights.  Oh oh!  Heat stroke.  We stay longer in this shady spot than we normally would have.

We noticed an elderly man sitting on a rock just as we approached this shady place.  Casually I made a comment about older out of shape people coming on this hike and he nodded and made a comment about our “guard dog”.

I said to the group that I remembered a small stream of water just down the trail a couple hundred yards and when we get to it I will use my shirt to wet Sherry’s head to cool her down some.  It wasn’t too long and she was ready to try to make it to that spot.  We got there and she wouldn’t let  me take off my shirt for that and so I used my hat and she felt fine after just a couple of minutes.  In the mean time our elderly man friend came down the trail, stopped briefly and then went on.

Brandon filled a couple of empty water bottles with water from this seep in order to water the dogs on the way down, so the drinking water we had could be used by us instead of sharing with them.  We also said it was a good time for them to not worry about mom and me, and to get on down to camp at their own pace, we would take our time and eventually get there.  They took off down the trail.

We followed, keeping them in sight for about two minutes, but our very slow gait was nothing compared to their slow gait and pretty soon they were out of sight and gone.  Standing in a shady place just off the trail stood our elderly man friend and he waved a slight wave as we passed him.  We took a shade break about 5 minutes later and our man friend went on passed us and on down the trail.

We trudged on.  Pain in every step.  Over the rocks, down and down the trail we went.  Often times it was less painful to step sideways over some of the larger rocks rather than take the step straight on.  And we just kept going,  one step at a time.  Suddenly, up ahead we could see the bright green shirt of Mitch coming our way.  Our Savior!  And he is carrying water!  Yes!  Water!  We are so joyful at this moment!  He hands us each “our very own bottle of water” and says he does not want to see us with any left when we get back to the parking lot.  That would be easy for us to do.

He tells us the sign at the split in the trail is just ahead over this next slight rise and at that place we will be able to see Tony Grove lake.  So we are almost there!

Tony Grove Lake in the background

It was still a struggle to go that last mile, but we made it, thanks to Mitch with the refreshing water.  He and the two little kids made it to camp and he knew he had to bring the rest of us some much needed water.  He passed Brandon and April and kids and gave them some and then continued up until he found us.  We are so grateful he did too.  Thank you very much Mitch.  That was quite a job for you as we know you were tired too.

As we approached the bottom of the trail, I looked down and right and there sat our elderly man on a picnic table resting and looking up the trail towards us.  Could he have been some sort of guardian angel sent up there to look after us?  Maybe.  I can tell you this, he did not have any water and never asked us for any as he went on passed us.  We should have offered, but didn’t think about it.

When we did finally make it back to camp, we were totally beat!  I could hardly wait to have a cold can of beer and Brandon offered it up right away!  Mom just sat in a lounge chair and soaked up the cool breeze and shade while sipping a cold bottle of water.  I am so proud of her for making the trip and very thankful as well that no harm came of her while we hiked in and back out.

I am also proud of the kids.  Conner and Sydney are the oldest and I had no doubt about them being able to make the hike, but Cody and Addie are much younger.  All of them hung in there for the duration and did not complain.  In fact Cody kept saying he was going to make it because if he could do this hike then he would be able to go to Polygamy Cave the next day with Mitch and Angela.  And they did and he did go with them and got to experience what total darkness looks like!

Hikers to Polygamy Cave

Mom has now sworn off any more hikes and I have crossed one off my bucket list.

Bears Butt

August 12, 2012