The Ice Caves: A Daddy Adventure!

We have really missed having Eric this summer while we went on our adventures, so it was with great delight that we set off on an adventure with him to celebrate Labor Day.

It has been a LONG time since I have been up to the ice caves and several of the kiddos have never been at all.

It is a well known fact that hiking is not my activity of choice. However, it is Eric's favorite thing to do and the ice caves are a nice, easy, kid friendly hike to go on.

Reid, Gwen, Zane and Andrew all are super hikers. They are ready to attack the trail and climb over logs and rocks until they fall down exhausted.

Lucy on the other hand is more like me (at least she was today). She fussed about mud. And bugs. And kids falling and getting hurt. And the bridges were scary. Eric informed me she sounded like me. Whatever.

Reid hiked almost the entire way up to the ice caves. We were almost to the top when he totally tuckered out. He wasn't sure about the backpack at first but once he got in it he discovered how very nice it was to be carried he was a happy boy.

Andrew has really started being super brave when it comes to adventuresome activities. Eric dared him to walk up this huge log (totally undoable) and Andrew gave it a shot. He made it much farther than my super scared of heights mind wanted him to. I think he went a lot farther than Eric wanted him to as well. Good job Andrew, calling daddies bluff!

After a nice lunch at the top we let the kids play on the very bottom of the snow. Those blasted caves freak me out totally.

It doesn't help that there was an avalanche up there a couple of years ago and a girl died. So yeah, we didn't play too much on the hill.

A quick photo to document the day and then it was time to head back down the mountain. Gwen and Andrew did great on the way down. They were troopers. Lucy and Zane... well, they were tired and a bit whiny. I played a game with Lucy to pass the time (we counted the bridges we walked over. 19 by our count) but by the last quarter of a mile she was crying and sobbing and collapsing on the ground. So it could have ended easier.

Reid was packed out but obviously he was a good boy the entire trip down. All in all a great time and I am so glad we had a chance to go!