Everyone had a GREAT time! I had forgotten that the first mile or so of the trail is pretty constant uphill travel, but it is gorgeous and shady, which helped. The frequent jelly bean and M&M breaks also helped tremendously. There was a modest amount of complaining, but for the most part everyone was enjoying the hike and the beautiful scenery.
We set out from the trailhead around 5:50pm, and by about 7:30pm everyone was getting tired, just around the time we came to a gorgeous mountain meadow around 7400 feet elevation. We chose a sheltered, mostly flat campsite among some pine trees and set up camp. The kids had each picked out a freeze-dried meal, and they loved them. Plus some astronaut ice cream for dessert!
On Saturday we ate a hearty breakfast. The kids enjoyed their oatmeal and hot cocoa.
Dana and Genna relaxed at camp while Alex and I hiked about 10 minutes down the trail to collect & purify some water from the nearby creek.
After lunch, we headed back down the hill, but stopped to explore a very cool cave / mine shaft along the hillside.
The only injury was a few good scrapes that Genna picked up after tumbling down a steep part of the trail. Despite this, she was very enthusiastic about backpacking again. She now insists that she needs her own lightweight sleeping bag and "real" backpack to carry her own stuff in (for this trip, she carried just a lightly-packed camelback day pack).
I was so proud of Alex and Genna for how hard they worked and how much they enjoyed the trip! Definitely a positive experience for everyone, and hopefully the first of many such trips.
