lots of fun....and a whole lot of dirt

Well....we made it back. Dirty, tired, exhausted....but still anticipating our next adventure. Our weekend of camping was filled with many ups, and many downs, but all in all it was a fabulous way to spend a few days. The weather for the most part cooperated nicely as we had a good mix of cooler temps and showers, followed by two glorious days of sun and warmth. Bree and Jenna did great. They actually ended up sleeping in the same bunk - something of which I was sure would not work (kudos Brent!) - but they in fact loved it. It took them about an hour to fall asleep but it was such fun listening to them chit chat and giggle - something that I am sure will only continue in our upcoming years of camping! We enjoyed many (many) walks on the shore of Lower Lake and in the campground, bike rides, meals outside, a little bit of hiking, a lot of exploring and treasure hunting, bubble blowing, and we even had a grizzly roaming in the woods across from our site. Now, I didn't see it, but our neighbour did and so did another family a few sites down. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing not getting the chance to observe these magnificent creatures, but hey...it kept the kids on their toes!
When asked later what my favourite memory of this trip was it came down to many things. The hike was great. The campsite was awesome. The lake was as beautiful as ever. The mountains were fabulous. But the one thing that sticks out the most was likely the simplest thing of all - watching Bree trudge down a hill, pick up a pine cone, bring it back up the hill, and walk over and give it to Jenna and smile. That my friends, makes all of the exhaustion totally worth it!

Here are a few (ok...a lot) of pics from our adventure.

Let 'em loose and watch them go! Bree and Jenna loved their new found sense of freedom. Every day they tested their limits and the boundaries and explored just that little bit more.

There was (believe it or not) some time to sit and enjoy the surrounding peaks and moments of quiet here and there.

Taking it all in.

Aidan, Maelle and I escaped for a few hours and did a great little hike aptly named The Canadian Mount Everest Expedition hike. A few kilometres of hiking and climbing up series of switch backs and steps had my little hikers grinning from ear to ear. The peanut M&M's helped too!

Not a bad place to stop for a snack!

Bree and Jenna have a go at a little rock tossing. Here is where the little ladies decided to see how cold that water really was. It's here I should also mention that sandals and mucky mud really don't go hand and hand. Especially when you are little. Just after this shot was taken both girls got stuck and promptly sat down to wait for help. Yeah. You get the picture.

In between biking down the rugged campsite hills, Aidan took breaks to blow a few bubbles for the girls. We were also joined by Kylie, Lindsay and Rory (his first trip to the peaks!) for Saturday afternoon. I think Uncle Lindsay had more fun than the kidlets blowing bubbles!

A great way to spend our last night in the mountains....by the campfire and a quiet mountain lake.

Funny thing though....I asked Aidan and Maelle what their favourite part of the trip was and it wasn't the mountains, the lake, the hiking, the biking or the bubble blowing - it was this:

Getting to ride in the camp managers golf cart! Priorities!