Hey everyone. We are Sasha and Carina and Tessa, a spunky set of sisters/cousins. Sasha and Carina are sisters from Oakland, California, and are ten and eight. Tessa is the cousin in the pack, a ten year old from Portland, Oregon. Technically, though we are all cousins, since, well, we are cousins!
We think summer is one of the best seasons of the year, right up there with spring and fall, and way better than winter, except for the days you can ski or sled. Winter on the west coast of America is wettest and coldest. Summer is warmest and brightest, and there’s no school. Repeat, NO SCHOOL!
The thing about no school is that there are a lot of hours in the day that need filling. Say for example we get up at 5 am and finally collapse in exhaustion at 7:30. That’s like more than 14 hours of running, playing, jumping on beds, begging for pets, asking questions, expecting answers, and making life interesting and fun for our parents. It’s a big responsibility, and sometimes, frankly, we need help thinking of new ideas to keep Mom and Dad entertained. Luckily, there are a few other adults we can call on to help us.
Neighbors can be fun, but Mom and Dad see them so often that they kinda get bored with them. Teachers are out of the question because they never seem to want to hang with our parents when school is out. And most of our family still lives in, GASP, New Jersey and Pennsylvania! Don’t ask us why.
One day, the parents emailed our Aunt Kerry, using the cell phone which they hog and never let us use. They did what we had been hoping they would do for a looong time. They asked her to come out and visit and help us kids manage them on a trip to the great outdoors.
Aunt Kerry is rather old and slightly crazy. She lives in New Jersey, so what did you expect? She carries all her belongings in a big black fanny pack which she wears like a belt on her waist. Rumor has it she even sleeps with it on. We don’t know, but we have to admit we had never seen her without it, that is, until we went hiking. Then, she needed an even bigger pack. She stuck the black pack right in there, and then packed the rest of her gear on top of it.
When hiking with adults, make sure you take them to a beautiful place. That will keep them occupied longer than, say, taking them to Starbucks to hike, or to the Mall or the supermarket. The longer you can keep them busy marveling at the wonders of nature, the less trouble they will be. We consulted the maps, the websites, the libraries, the blogs, asking, “Where should we take our aging parents and Auntie hiking?” Everywhere we looked, we heard the same thing:
“There is no one place which will enchant them enough to grant you any respite, but if you take them on two trips, and then review your photo albums some weeks later, you may well discover you each had a total of five minutes’ peace. ”
Experts agreed that was the best we could do, so we split up the responsibility, agreeing we would each handle our own parents and we would both take on Auntie Kerry, in hopes having another adult along might help us a smidge.
For their part, Sasha and Carina decided to go big or go home. It is impossible to hike at home, so they went big, as in Yosemite National Park. Yup, that big. Tessa choose Waldo Lake State Park, which boasts the second largest lake in Oregon and water so clear you can see straight through to the bottom past 100 feet. Plus, it’s not too long a drive from Portland, and we all know how antsy grown ups get on long car rides.
On July 1, the Lovell sisters loaded up their parents and the amazing amount of gear parents need into the SUV and hit the road. Yosemite, here we come. Luckily we had plenty of stuffed animals to share in the driving. After hours and hours and hours, we arrived at Rush Creek Lodge, which was hardly complete in time for our arrival. But the POOLs were done, thank heaven. We found Aunt Kerry wandering the parking lot, dazed and confused, because she had been on three hikes since arriving and had eaten exactly two granola bars all day. How many times do we have to tell these people that they need to fuel their bodies and stay hydrated, especially at altitude? It must be that as their brains age, they get dumber. She looked a lot better after stuffing herself at the buffet, which was free because the restaurant couldn’t figure out how to take our money until the second day. Then, we got to swim in both pools till dark. Sweet!
The next day, we rounded up our adults and headed for the May Lake hike. Soon as we got there, we learned that some grown ups don’t know how to hike. They shoulder their backpacks and TRUDGE. Yup, that’s the only way to describe it. Dad, whom Tessa calls Uncle Matt, and Auntie Kerry are downright glum hikers. Mom is smarter and has more fun, taking her time, noticing wildflowers and birds and bugs. We know exactly what to do. We jumped from rock to rock to rock for one mile. This is exciting but tiring, so we stopped for snacks and chatted about kitties and stuffies. Dad and Kerry kept glancing around the tall pine trees, following the track of the path with their eyes. We zigged and zagged, and after another mile, reached the shores of May Lake, our destination. Yay! But we didn’t swim, because it’s a wilderness area and there are signs saying NO SWIMMING. Some older people swam. Maybe they can’t read English, or maybe their kids haven’t taught them how to behave.
After a rest, Dad wanted to edge around the left side of the lake and get up in the steeper boulder field and climb and climb and climb. Aunt Kerry was right on his heels. They both have summit fever, which is an urge to keep going until you reach the top, no matter how far. It’s like that song in Sound of Music:
Climb Every Mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
Till you find your dream.
Sometimes, you just have to let the old people do what they want to do and tell them you will see them later. At times like these, it is important to communicate clearly. Dad and Kerry went on, and Mom stayed with us, but Mom thought Dad was just checking ’round the bend, not going on a summit push. We are kids, so it wasn’t up to us to get it right. Remember, we don’t even have the cell phones, and cell phones don’t work in Yosemite National Park. So there was much confusion, and Carina wanted to continue, and Sasha did not, and Mom was caught in the middle of us, and, well, it wasn’t ideal. This is how crying happens. Grown-ups, get your act together and you will save yourselves some aggravation.
Dad and Aunt Kerry did make it to the summit of Mt. Hoffman, nearly 11,000 feet up. They said there was a scary rock scramble at the top and a big drop off on the other side. A cute little animal called a marmot chewed up Dad’s brand new pack. It wanted to eat his sweat. Ewww. I hope he learned his lesson from that. Not the marmot, Dad. Dad said the marmot was a varmint.
The next day, we decided that Mom needed a rest. She had a blister. So we insisted she sleep in with us, and after a healthy breakfast, we took her to the Evergreen Lodge to play on the playground and swim. Sometimes, kids just have to step in and make adults take care of themselves or they are going to get hurt. Mom really appreciated the chance to swim in a different pool and go on the rope swings 1,257 times. Daddy and Aunt Kerry were gone when we woke up and they went out to the far end of the park and hiked thirteen miles to get to the top of a mountain called Cloud’s Rest. It wasn’t even as high as the one they climbed the day before, so why did they even bother? Anyway, they said they had fun and that the views were pretty. And they weren’t too tired to swim at Rush Creek that night, so no harm done.
The next day was our last, but we had time for one final hike, at Carlon Falls, very near our lodge. Everyone, young and old, agreed this was the perfect hike to end our vacation, not too long, not too short, not too steep, not too hot, and there was a waterfall and a swimming hole. And because it was July 4, the busiest day of the year in Yosemite, we were able to find someone to take a picture of our whole group. That doesn’t happen often. Usually one of the adults has to take the picture, and it looks like she wasn’t even there. But we got lucky. Here’s the proof:
After the hike, we kissed Aunt Kerry goodbye and we snuggled into our carseats for the drive back to Oakland. Dad said Aunt Kerry went over to Hetch Hetchy and did yet another hike before she drove back to Sacramento and took the red eye flight to New Jersey. Aunt Kerry can be fun, but being with her is exhausting. She does know lots of good hiking songs and makes up silly rhymes, and she did teach us a lot about swimming in her backyard pool, but she should learn to slow down and play. Maybe she needs some stuffed animals. Or a cat.
Hey, it’s Tessa. I’m ready to take over the narration. Thanks, Sasha and Carina, for getting us this far and getting Auntie Kerry safely through Yosemite. I wish I could say that she arrived in Oregon in good shape. She managed to hurt herself training for a running race. She was supposed to run with my dad in the famous Hood to Coast relay, but she ran too fast, too far while training and she couldn’t run a step by the time she got to Portland. It’s important to remind your older relatives to act their age. Just say, “Remember, you’re not kids anymore.”
Auntie Kerry brought Uncle Kip with her and they stayed in my basement for a few days before we went to Waldo Lake. That left plenty of time for playing with me and my dog Floyd before the camping trip. Dad ran in the relay race, and he was pretty tired after it was done, but no matter, we had lots of chores we had to do, so no rest for him. We rented two huge canoes and took one for a test paddle down the Willamette River. Auntie Kerry and Uncle Kip took a while to learn how to say Willamette right. I worked very hard to keep them entertained. I had two of them to deal with, plus my parents. Luckily, I have a lot of energy.
The canoes looked so silly balanced upside down on top of the cars. We stopped every now and then to tighten the straps. Dad drove with Uncle Kip, and Mom with Auntie Kerry and me. Sometimes, letting the girls and the boys have some time away from each other works well. But we girls had Floyd, and he’s a boy…
We got to the lake just in time for Mom to have a swim. Of course, I had to supervise her, so I couldn’t take the lead in pitching all the tents. I didn’t have any kids to help me manage the grown ups, but there were lots of other grown ups, including Syd and Marilyn and two other couples whose names my Auntie Kerry can’t even remember. See what happens when you get old? Your mind just doesn’t work as well. I was pleased to note by the time I came up from the lake with a soaking wet and thirsty Mom, that my Dad, Kip, and Kerry had set up camp and started dinner and found some wine.
We hung out and watched the sun set and drawled into our sleeping bags early. If you don’t get your grown ups to sleep early, it’s hard to get them out of bed at 5 am to begin the day. They need lots and lots of rest.
The next day, I was first up. I had to watch Dad. He and Floyd are always running off running or biking or hiking, and so I have to stay alert. Floyd ran so much on this trip that he hurt his feet and had to go to the vet. I was so busy watching the adults I forgot to worry too much about the dog. Floyd has more energy that even I do.
I gathered up all my grown ups and assigned them to canoes and we paddled off to the Rigdon Lakes Wilderness, where there was a fire some years back. The trees and burned but there are lots of little lakes. Auntie Kerry and one of the men went swimming in the lakes. Auntie Kerry had to borrow a bra from my mom, or she would have been skinny dipping! She’s crazy, remember.
We paddled, they swam, we hiked 4 miles, we paddled back. It was a pretty busy day that ended with S’mores. Don’t let your grown ups have too many of them, because it makes it hard to get them to bed.
The next day, I let Dad and Auntie Kerry and Kip go off and do their own thing. Floyd went with Dad and ran maybe a thousand miles. Kip and Kerry hiked to Betty Lake, Upper Betty, and over toward Bobby Lake, maybe eight miles. Those lakes have silly names. Kip got lost. I thought they would have been ok, but they didn’t stay together. Never let older folk hike alone, and make sure they have food, water, and a whistle.
I needed some down time, so I played in the tent a lot that day. I was saving my energy for the next day’s summit push. Twin Peaks!
Dad, Floyd, Auntie Kerry, and I did this hike. We are amazing hikers. We did seven miles and climbed both peaks. Not just Floyd, but all of us got sore feet. Here I am with my dad near the top. Remember, grown ups can do more than you think they might. You just have to give them frequent rest breaks and feed them strips of green pepper. And Sasha and Carina were right: Auntie Kerry talks and sings and recites poetry and then she talks some more. We both like talking so we are kind of the same, and kind of different, too.
The next day, It RAINED. It was chilly. Some might even say cold. Mom and Dad said we just ran out of steam. We huddled together for warmth in a big group hug and said goodbye to Waldo for this year.
Next year, I hope my aunt and uncle come back so I can teach them more about camping, hiking, kids, and s’mores. They have a lot to learn, but I love them.
We hope you have enjoyed our stories. Looking back, we did have some brief and shining moments when the adults didn’t need constant attention. As they grow more mature, we hope they will continue to gain independence. Hiking is a great way to build their confidence.
Wishing all our readers a Happy 2017!
Tessa, Carina, and Sasha