Backpacking Bobby Lake - Day 3

 If I thought it was cold the first night, it was even colder the second night. And having the rain fly on didn't seem to help. 

It was quite the walk to our amazing latrine, set up by Zack, and I definitely didn't want to do it in the dark and cold. But around 5am I couldn't wait any longer and made the trek with my flashlight and walked straight there for the first time. It was obviously a God thing... 

I climbed back into my cold, uncomfortable sleeping bag but just couldn't go back to sleep. So I just got up and sat next to the lake in one of Zack and Tatum's very comfortable chairs to do my Bible reading and watch the sun rise...

Once everyone was up, I enjoyed a leisurely cup of tea and my apple walnut oatmeal breakfast. The kids tried a bit more fishing and eventually we loaded up our packs for the hike back...

Thanks to Zack's pack and smart watch, we were able to get a group shot before hitting the trail... Everyone was happy except for Ben, the birthday boy, who really didn't like the hiking part of the trip. :) 

Everyone did really well on the trek back to the vehicles, finishing the 2 miles in less than an hour...

Nobody saw the sign they made for Amy's friend at the trail junction either LOL

While the Frank and the kids and Zack and Tatum went home, Amy and Stella and I headed back into Oakridge for some cold water, snacks (the kids ate most of the snacks everyone brought... LOL) and had lunch at a super retro A&W drive-in. 

Crater Lake was so close that we decided to just go for a few hours and then head home for a shower and a real bed...

When we arrived at the park's north entrance, the booth was empty with just a sign saying to go to the next pullout for information. Since there was nothing there either, we just decided to drive the 13 miles to Rim Village and just check out all the viewpoints along the way...

We could also see forest fires in the distance... :( 

When we finally got to Rim Village there were paper signs everywhere saying that everything was closed due to a park-wide power outage. Only one tiny little shop was still open and taking only cash but we got in for free! 

Most of the rim drive was closed due to a major construction project. We drove out to Phantom Ship overlook and then headed home. 

We made pretty good time but would have done better if we had just trusted Google maps. But it was good to have a hot shower and comfy bed. 

I slept in very late. Had brunch with Mom and Dad and made it home in time for celebratory donuts with Chris after a Bells' post-season win!

Backpacking Bobby Lake - Day 2

 Even though the stars were incredible, it was a mistake to leave the rainfly off throughout the night. It was pretty cold and I was up with the sun. But the sunrise over the lake made the early morning totally worth it! 

I enjoyed the peaceful quiet until... Everyone was up by 7am. It didn't take long until the kids had all had their first breakfast. 

And since I wasn't the only one who was cold overnight, Amy and I took a couple of the girls to walk the 2 miles back to the car for a blanket, our extra water and to enjoy the last two pieces of my blackberry cake... :) 

By the time we got back from our little hike, the kids were ready for brunch/2nd breakfast of cup noodles...

We just hung around camp in the morning, enjoying Hazel's story time (she's quite the animated reader), working on clubhouses and shelters, waiting for it to warm up enough to hit the water...

Shortly after 2nd breakfast (or my first breakfast), Amy's friends, Scott and Vickie, hiked in to see us from their campsite and Waldo Lake. The kids also convinced us that it was time to start swimming.

Frank and I really wanted to swim across to the other side but it didn't take me long to realize I could probably make it over there but I wouldn't have it in me to make it back. And with no way to walk back to camp, I headed back. While we were out in the middle of the lake we decided that the lake was so much warmer than expected because it was also fairly shallow (and very clear)...

Little Frank disagreed that the water was warm and said that rolling around in the dirt warmed him up after he got out of the water. What he failed to remember was that he had to get back into the water to rinse off... LOL

It was quite breezy and cool and most of us decided that was enough swimming for today. The kids went back to playing and reading and some of us grabbed my deck of cards and I taught some of the girls how to play Kings' Corners. It's quite nostalgic being that Grandma Ide taught me to play this game when I was a kid...

Me, Frank, Zack, Tatum, Olivia and Argus decided to see how far the other direction on the trail we could go. So we sprayed ourselves liberally with DEET and hit the trail. 

We got to the far end of the lake, about a mile, but when the trail began to climb a bit uphill and get very far away from the lake, we went back...

But when we got back to camp, it was empty. Amy and the children had seemingly disappeared. But as we approached the campsites I had noticed both the quiet and the lack of water toys on the large rock at the end of the lake. (The previous occupants of the "big rock" were VERY loud!) So I came to the conclusion that they must have left and Amy and the kids went to check it out. 

Sure enough, there they were. They were so excited that we had seen the sign they had left on the trail in front of the Rohrer camp to tell us where they were. They were quickly quite disappointed that we hadn't seen it at all. But both the rock and the view were amazing! 

We hung out for a bit and walked to the other side of the lake (we had previously thought you couldn't) before we decided it was just perfect for swimming...

We saw the arrow and what was left of the moss letters spelling out ROCK...

It was a nice swim before dinner but a bit chilly...

After dinner, we went to check out the shelter left behind by the previous family, watched our local duck family, and played some more Kings' Corners...

After hearing about my stargazing experience the night before, some of the kids wanted to try to stay up and see the stars. They stayed up for a bit after dark and we did get to see quite a few stars but they very quickly were ready for bed. Frank and I really wanted to go to the rock and look at the stars with no trees in the way. But NO ONE else wanted to go and were convinced it was a very bad idea. 

So Amy, Stella, Ada, Zack, Tatum and I laid on the ground next to my tent and saw lots of stars, a couple of satellites and some shooting stars. But all I could think of was how fantastic the view would be from the rock. 

When I walked Ada over to her camp, I quietly asked Frank if he was still awake and game for an adventure. He was totally ready! He grabbed his handgun and a flashlight and we walked to the end of the lake. 

I wish we could have taken pictures because it was like laying down on a rock in a planetarium. We could see so many stars and the Milky Way. It was totally worth braving the danger of bears, mountain lions and sliding down the rock into the lake! 

All day I had this verse stuck in my head and it seemed very appropriate for the location...

Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of the, human beings that You care for them?" 

4 Eventually we realized that while the rock was very warm during the day, it was very cold after dark. So we headed back and went to bed...