Friday, June 22, 2012

Jasper's First Backpacking Trip!

To celebrate the first day of summer, we took Jasper on his first ever backpacking trip!  We backpacked up the Coastal Trail in Redwood National Park to Flint Ridge backcountry campsite.  We took a lot of gear to the site (it took me two trips with a full backpack).  This meant that Jasper had everything he needed to thrive in the backcountry!  After setting up camp in the mid afternoon, we took a late afternoon hike up the ridge into the old growth redwood trees.  In the evening, we fell asleep to the sound of singing birds as day turned to night.  We woke up to a light rain on the tent and hiked out in soggy weather.  The ocean was lapping against the rocky shore, making it look more like a lake.  As we reached the trailhead, we saw whales swimming slowly along the shoreline.  It's a good thing we left when we did though, as the rest of the day has been cold, rainy and windy.   
Jasper hits the trail...

Jasper's tent!


Lounging in our new 4-person tent!

Susanna in the old growth redwoods



A bundled up munchkin first thing in the morning!
An outside look at our new tent

Friday, June 1, 2012

To the Mountains!!

On June 1st, we traded the fog on the coast for the warm sun of the mountains!  We drove up to Horse Mountain (about 5,000 feet in elevation), which is part of the coastal mountains that lie between the ocean and the Trinity Alps.  This was Jasper's first hike in the mountains!!  It was a stunning day with brilliant blue sky and views to the fog-shrouded ocean. 

This is the view East towards the Trinity Alps


Jasper lounging at our lunch spot!

View West to the Pacific

A small pond near the summit of Horse Mountain