After the overnight hike to the hut, we decided to continue the family training and do a real backpacking weekend (hike and camp, carrying everything). We originally wanted to go to Big Basin campsites, but since we plan everything at the last minute, they were full. Instead, we had reservations for the Slate Creek camp in Portola Redwoods State Park, not far from the hut in Sam McDonald Park. None of us had ever been there before, but the camp sites are less than 3 miles from the road, and there is only about 600′ of elevation gain.
[Photos by Sonja, comments by Andy]
Here is the usual trailhead picture again, Leilani has her own pack, and ours are a bit heavier because of the tent and cookware:
Lots of redwoods on this hike. Leilani loved looking into the ones with caves:
And walking on the ones that fell down:
I found this redwood shoot and had Leilani pose with her hands around it (unfortunately, it was in the middle of the path, so I doubt we’ll go back and find it has turned into a tree):
For adult hikers, I usually don’t suggest taking frequent breaks, but kids are different. Plus this was at the top of a big hill:
I think I ended up carrying Leilani’s pack the last 1/2 mile, but she walked the whole thing while we took turns telling her stories and fairy tales. For a while it actually threatened to rain on us (in California, in July!), but we only got a few drops. I think everyone was happy to reach the camp site:
Even if there is a bit of grumpiness, a little tickling can still fix the problem:
The camp is not actually by the stream, but it is only a short walk downhill. We went once in the evening, and ended up going back there most of the next day. [Bay Area trivia: the stream site is the location of the original Page Mill, and the wide trail from the camp to the stream is actually the end of the original Page Mill Road.]
Playing in and around a stream seems to be Leilani’s favorite hiking activity, so we made sure she gets plenty of it. We want the hiking and backpacking to be something fun for her, not something that we drag her along just because we like it. We do sometimes have to move her along during the hiking part, and sometimes we have to convince her to go exploring, but without fail we always find something fun and exciting that she likes (and I always like exploring).
Some of the fun things we did at the stream include making bark boats:
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Spotting a banana slug (endemic to the region):
A pretty butterfly:
A pretty snake (who did not eat the butterfly):
Finding some blue jay feathers:
Pumping and filtering water (Leilani helped with this chore, filling her own bottles and one of ours, and then loved drinking out of the hose, as well as pretending to spray me):
And soaking up the beauty of the forest:
Since the hike out was relatively short, we didn’t take down the camp until after lunch and a nap on the second day:
Leilani also grabbed the camera and took some of her art pictures:
In the end, it was a beautiful weekend in a beautiful forest. I guess you could say we were happy campers:
