Wishon

On Friday, we drove east to Wishon Campground located in the beautiful Sequoia National Forest. It was a three hour drive ending with a half hour along a one-lane road full of switchbacks reminiscent of the logging roads of my youth. We climbed alongside the Tule River where giant boulders lay strewn like forgotten toys and waterfalls tumbled into deep, clear pools.

Our campsite was above a bubbling stream (which I later discovered was the Tule River -I'll never get used to the California tendency to call a stream a river) and surrounded by wild blackberries. We quickly unloaded and set up camp. While Chad drove to get more ice, Michelle and I took Sydney and Joseph on a hike by the creek - err - river. Pine cones littered the hillsides and blackberry brambles scraped at our ankles. We rested next to the stream, soaking our feet in the ice cold water. Joseph and Sydney threw rocks in the water until we started to notice the mosquitoes. I hate mosquitoes. We hurried back to our site and spent the next half hour huddled over the citronella.

Side note: I used Burt's Bees bug repellent but now believe that it would be more aptly named Burt's Bees bug attractant.

Danielle showed up with Skin So Soft. I wish I would have read this first. The skeeters kept biting; I kept slapping at them. Finally I resorted to DEET.

Side note: Yes, I realize that spraying DEET on my skin is worse than eating non-organic produce, but seriously...mosquitoes.

That evening, we roasted hot dogs and were treated to a crystal clear, moonless sky. The sheer number of stars peppering (or should I say, salting) the sky was dizzying. We could see constellations, the Milky Way, even satellites crossing above.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday and, after breakfast, headed on a Chad Dawson Hike.

Side note: I may have explained this before, but Chad does everything at Mach 10. Snowshoeing at 5,000 feet with his 6 month pregnant wife? Set a pace normally reserved for track meets. Hiking with a toddler, an infant, a four-year-old and a 19-weeks-pregnant woman? Let's jog.

We walked up a road towards Doyle Springs. Along the way, I stopped to take pictures, scrambling down some boulders at one point to get a few great shots.

After returning to camp, we walked down to the creek to cool off. The kids threw rocks (again) and we lazed away in the shade. (Adam had to dam up the creek, of course, and Chad ran back and forth to the campsite so maybe I should say that the women lazed away in the shade.) While eating lunch, Danielle told us about nearby natural water slides she'd read about. Deciding to put off naps for a couple hours, we loaded up and headed back down Wishon Road.

We pulled off the road and parked. The trail was as steep as a set of stairs. We slid and scooted our way down and, hot and dusty, came upon a swimming hole. Words cannot describe the beauty of the pool. A shelf jutted out of the rocks at the end of the path three feet from the rock wall. A foot of water lapped the ledge before abruptly dropping off eight feet to a sandy bottom. After we got over the shock of cold water, we toted the kids up and over the boulders into a shallow cove. There was one scary moment when I slide down a rock while holding Lane. Mother's Instinct caused me to lift him up while I fell, but that left me with a bruised butt and elbow. Ouch. We went a little more carefully the rest of the way. We sat on submerged rocks while Adam climbed to the top of a slide and made the plunge. Later we went back to the main pool and took turns sliding down the rocks.

The way back was tricky. That steep trail that was so tough to descend was insane to climb. The kids needed to be carried so I put Sydney on my back and Chad took Joseph. (Adam had the easy part - Little Lane.) Deciding that the only way up was fast, I told Syd to hold tight and took off. I got to the top, sweaty and out of breath, but felt good about the climb.

At the campsite, we had quiet time - which means naps and Scrabble - followed by more creek time when J woke up.

Side note: I really need to remember my fishing pole whenever we go up to the mountains. I was tempted to send Chad down to Springville and pick one up, but since I already have two (thanks Missa) I don't really need another.

Dinner that night was quiet and followed by subdued chatter around the campfire. We were all beat from the day and enjoying the quiet and peace that surrounded us. I hadn't expected such warm evenings. It was nice to sit around the fire in our shorts and tanks and not get chilled.

We finished up our trip on Sunday with breakfast at a cafe in Springville. Unfortunately, Joseph got car sick twice on the way down the mountain. Fortunately he was wearing my soon-to-be-patented "Car Towel" so the mess was minimized. Even more fortunately, he fell asleep after breakfast and slept the rest of the way home.

Overall, great trip and I can't wait to go back. It was an amazing location that will be fun for the boys in years to come...hiking, swimming, fishing....what more could a boy want?