Ohanapecosh 2013

Last weekend took us into the woods for a weekend of sleeping in tents, campfires, hiking, and eating well in the company of friends.  We camped for two nights in the Mt. Rainier National Park at the Ohanapecosh campground, on the Eastern side of the mountain.

The weather was warm, almost warmer than we liked, but we had only a few mosquitos and no real inujries -- and that's saying something considering we had four children under the age of two and a half with us (and running amok at times).  Turns out that camping in a tent is so exciting that there is little need to sleep.  Luckily, by the second night, the excitement had mostly worn off.

Although we hiked a hilly three miles up to Silver Falls and back, I doubt we came out ahead in the calories department considering we enjoyed plenty of delicious camp cooking.  Homemade chili, a Canlis salad (seriously!), individual pizzas made to order, and plenty of beer and hot toddys.  We made s'mores, of course.  And breakfasts offered pancakes, fruit, yogurt, eggs, bacon, and even the obligatory instant oatmeal for those who needed a little nostalgia to start their day.  I think that was mostly me.

Each time we camp at Ohanapecosh I enjoy it. The huge trees and the din of the rushing river not far away make for a great outdoor experience.  We saw a deer or two, heard lots of bird calls, and even spotted and identified some interesting flora on our hike.  I will say, however, that we really missed being able to attend a campfire program this year, which we were told had been eliminated due to budget cuts.  Evenso, I'm looking forward to the next time we camp there, already.