It was the best of times and the worst of times. This sums up my life with toddlers.
The facts:
Eating started the day. A 7:30am reservation. Ham and swiss quiche. Yummy!
We drove off to Ohanapecosh. We stopped at Box Canyon for a bathroom break. Again, the day was perfect. Laura awoke from her nap and proceeded to run away from me in the parking lot.
Grove of the Patriarches, right outside of Ohanapecosh, was the destination. A 0.4 mile hike one way into deep, old forests with huge trees. For a family that has hiked Rainier a lot, this trail had an air of anticipation since none of us had been on it before. We paused at a picnic table and thought about lunch. It was 11:30am and we were still stuffed from breakfast. Laura started on Wayne’s back, cackling as she was loaded up. All signs were good.
The start of Toddler Anguish was my innocent suggestion that we let Laura walk. The trail had some edges, but was pretty nice and easy. I tried to get Laura to hold my hand and refused to let her walk when she wouldn’t. This brought on yells of anguish. We returned her to the backpack only to discover that she could throw off her straps. In her tantruming, she started slinging her weight around dangerously.
Mom and Dad were not within site. We stopped and just held Laura on a log. Crying continued. People passed and looked. One person oddly asked if taking a photo would help. I politely declined that offer, not saying what I thought. Crying continued. Eventually Mom reappeared. We decided we should have eaten lunch. We recalled the experience at the Puyallup Fair a week before.
So we didn’t see the Grove. Wayne carried an empty backpack and a screaming toddler in his arms. Laura screamed at me like she was being ripped from my arms thought I was within 10 feet the whole time. People stared. Laura cried. I was just starting to sink into the spirit of the place too.
Lunch was indeed the answer. We picnicked by the car. Laura grew happy again. Dad walked off to see a bridge down the road. He came back with news of redemption. He had scouted out a quiet part of the Ohanapecosh river with stones and sand and water.
We flowed into that direction. When I took out the swimsuits, Laura cackled again to my delight. Dad carried Laura down the steep trail. Poor Wayne, tired from wrangling girls, requested alone time and fled back to the Grove. He completed the trail and said it was a spiritual place (when you’re not listening to screaming). Dad went further down stream and photoed for an hour. Mom hovered nearby reading and intervening while I watched the girls.
This was one of my favorite times on the trips with the kids. We made a pool by the waters edge out of rocks and logs. We then made sand/mud/rock walls on the logs. I walked up to my knees, but was reluctant to get into the swift mid water. Laura followed me at one point and slipped and I had to scoop her up. The girls moved onto making log sculptures in the sand. Sara worked on several branches balancing like an engineer. She even had a ta da moment of balance. The girls tried to make a lean-to with the logs by the rocks.
The kids were tired after this. We walked back and cleaned up. We got in the car and headed to Paradise. Both girls slept. The Paradise Inn didn’t open for dinner till 5:30pm. We waited in line, but probably could have walked in at any time. The girls did great at dinner. I’ve had amazing meals there in the past, but missed tonight. I tried the elk roulade, but should have done the coq au vin. I got to sample everyone’s dish and got a good sense of the menu (avoid seafood on a mountain no matter how inspired the sauce). I skipped desert to change Laura. I happened there were no changing tables in the public bathroom, so I had to change her on a bench. Laura thought the whole walk was fun.
We drove to the lower parking lot by the Henry Jackson vistor center to see the sunset. It was gorgeous with a moon rise over the Tatoosh range. The whole experience mirrored our event last year. We got there a little too late. Wayne and I exchanged kidlet duties.
Finally, the drive home and bed at Alexandra’s.