Heber Valley Camp

We have spent a marvelous, though slightly chilly three days at Heber Valley Camp.  While going to Heber Valley Camp involves lots of preparation and work, as well as lots of preparation and work once there, it is always such a wonderful experience.  I love being able to remove ourselves from the busy-ness and daily hassle of regular life, to embrace the relaxed, beauty of the camp.  And we get to do it with cousins which makes it all a good time.

This year we stayed in the Reeder campsite, the farthest up the camp.  It's my favorite.  It feels a bit more isolated, although there weren't a lot of people there this week, and it's close to my favorite place to hike--around Moose Meadow and up to the overlook point.

We arrived on Monday in the late morning.  We planned on having an early-ish lunch, then we had waterfront.  Sadly, although it was warm down in the valley, it was cooler than we hoped up the canyon.  Our time on the water was great, though a bit chilly.  We were all in our sweatshirts paddling around on the lake, but we saw waterfowl and the beautiful trees, and it was lovely.  We were the only ones on the lake, too.

Lyla looks like she's having a great time, doesn't she?

Oh look!

Lyla is having a good time.

Brandt complained that Blake didn't do any paddling,

he just sat in the back of the canoe and let Brandt and Luke move them around.

 Blythe did not want us close enough to her canoe to actually take a decent picture.

Kent and Brandt tried out a paddle boat.

So painful on the knees!

On our way back from canoeing, we saw a moose off the side of the road.  Eugene and Sharae with Tysen and her kids saw her first, as she ran across the road right in front of them.  They pulled over and flagged us down, and we watched her for some time as she munched her way through the shrubbery.  Every year we've been at Heber Valley Camp, and the times I've been there for other things, I have longed to see a moose, but until this trip, hadn't ever seen one.  Until you see a moose in the flesh, you don't realize how big they are!

We took a brief pause, then went to a zipline challenge course.  Not everyone wants to participate in the zipline, so only 10 of us zoomed down.  Kent and Brandt did not zipline, but Blythe and I did.  Brandt entertained little kids in the sand.  We had to climb a cargo net, then cross a plank bridge to get to the "crow's nest" launching off spot.  It is unnerving to stand on the platform looking down 20 feet thinking, 'I know! I think I'll throw myself off this platform!'  But it sure is fun when you do!!

Non-zipliners playing in the sand, including Brandt.

That's Grandma Sue!

The sister missionary at the top of the platform recommended I launch off backwards.

So I did.

Mikayla worked it!

With her bad ankle, it is a true challenge to get up the net.

Mikayla took her recommendation, too.

Look at that dark, foreboding sky.

 Brick was super brave and did a reserve pull.

They strapped him into the harness and hooked him up at the ending point, 

then pulled him way back up the zipline and let him go when he said okay.

They didn't hear him, so he went further back than he really wanted, 

but in the end, he said it was great.

As we were wrapping things up at the swing, we saw a herd of deer just down the road.  Although we always see deer when we're at Heber Valley Camp, it was fun to see a big group of them all at the same time.

 Because we were all at the challenge course, even those who didn't do the zipline, we did a low course challenge game.  We've played it before, and it's awfully funny.  You get into pairs, one of you is blindfolded in a circle, and someone else, also blindfolded, tries to whack you with a pool noodle.  Your partner outside the circle gives you directions on how to avoid the noodle.  We all laughed and laughed, both those in the circle and those out of it.

 We played games, had a delicious dinner, and sat somewhat huddled around the campfire trying to stay reasonably warm the rest of the evening.  It was intended that we have pizzookies baked in the dutch oven for dessert, but I burned them.  They were completely inedible.  So irritating!  We slept reasonably well.  Blythe stayed in Eugene and Sharae's cabin with Makenna.  Kent always says, "Camping is the triumph of hope over experience," and he usually references sleeping.  It's not easy to get a good night's sleep when camping.  In fact, it's almost impossible.  The space heater in our cabin didn't work super well, either, so it was a bit chilly as we slept.

Tuesday morning we went to do the challenge course with the big swing.  We all love the big swing.  Well, Kent doesn't, because he doesn't like heights, but even more naturally cautious Brandt likes the swing.  We put just about everybody on, including Kal, who wasn't super thrilled, and Brick, who liked it but didn't like it at the same time.  Cora wouldn't participate, but the littles played in the sandbox while the swinging was happening, so everyone was happy.  Lots of cute pictures of everyone high in the air.

Brandt went very first!

 

 

    

I helped Kal swing while Mikayla took pictures.

He was not feeling it.

After much cajoling and nagging, Mom and I were able to convince people to join us on a little hike.  Mom and I wanted to go to Lookout Point and look out, but our fellow hikers were reluctant.  Instead, we circumnavigated Moose Meadow.  Sadly, we saw no moose, but we did push down a tree or two, and we enjoyed being out in the sporadic sun.

This tree they worked and worked and worked on, but it didn't come down.

We enjoyed time together, playing and talking.  The kids ran around and got filthy, we made food, and on Wednesday morning, we packed up and went home.  We thought we had to be gone by noon, but there wasn't anyone coming in after us, so after we had cleaned, everyone went home, but Mom and I stayed and hiked to Lookout Point.  I was delighted we stayed because just as we got back from our hike, a moose and her calf wandered by right above our campsite.  They munched and looked at us almost as much we were looking at them.  Heber Valley Camp is magical, removed from real life, quiet, peaceful, and so lovely to enjoy.

Cora wanted my camera but I wouldn't let her have it.

She kept saying, "Mine!" but it wasn't hers.

She was mad.

Here are the moose.  We saw the mother moose first, right by the trail we had just hiked down.  I think they were either following us or were in the trees as we went by, and we didn't even notice them.  But how do you miss an animal that size?

Then we saw her calf right behind! 

It was big, so obviously from last year and not likely to be with her much longer.

The benches in the foreground are from out campfire site.

They were close!

They hung around for a bit and then strolled off over the ridge.

Ah! Nature!