For the last 4 days Darrell and I camped at Priest Lake in Idaho with Ryan, Scott and Bethany L.,
Bethany J., Cousin Marshall, sister Ginny and her husband Steve, their daughters Lela and Molly and their husbands Ian and Eric, respectively, and Ian's parents Kevin and Leslie
Kerrigan. It was a beautiful lake, large wooded campsites and pit toilets, so not too crowded ;-)
Saturday we went on a hike to Upper Priest Lake........all but Marshall. The hike was an easy one, though it was hot and muggy with a lot of mosquitoes.
Upper Priest Lake
Molly,
Eric and Lela resting at the lake.............
After the hike we all went to the lake for a time of reading in the sun,
sleeping in the sun,
and just plain swimming and cooling off in the lake. The water was not too cold, surprisingly enough, since the area was covered in snow just 2 weeks prior! In this photo are Scott and Bethany L., me, and Molly and Eric.
Scott and Bethany L. enjoying the water........
I am trying to pull Darrell into the water here..........
Scott, Ginny and Ryan..........
Sisters Molly and Lela are so tiny they can share a tube!
Sunday morning this yearling moose wandered through the campground. It is bigger than the car!
Butterflies populated the sandy beaches in their frenzy to mate.
Bike riding was another treat..............
Sunday morning also brought a highly intense and rousing game of croquette. Scott was the winner after all the playing around fallen trees,
pine cones, valleys and hills and lots of shouting!
Cousin Marshall with Ginny and I
The parents (hubby and I) brought hamburgers to make.........
Scott and Bethany cooked a delicious dinner of chicken with capers, mushrooms, lemon juice and noodles that was so tender you could cut it with a fork............we all preferred that dinner, big wonder why..........
However, Darrell made a blueberry cobbler in his dutch oven buried in the fire that
rivaled the
smores.............
Molly, Bethany L and Lela.........
Each day ended around a warm campfire eating
smores, dough gobs, roasted marshmallows and having interesting conversations. It was a grand time!
"The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness." ~Henry David Thoreau
"Any man, in the right situation, is capable of murder. But not any man is capable of being a good camper. So, murder and camping are not as similar as you might think." Unknown
Only this turned out to be the one weekend that the clouds and rain decided to grace us with their presence.
These shots were taken on Darrell's and my way into the Rainier area, and happened to be the only time the clouds spread apart for a momentary peek of the grand mountain. My sister and all of her children's families entered from a different direction, and never once saw Mt. Rainier all weekend. Bummer.
I love old tunnels!
This fog (really low clouds) is what we saw the entire weekend.
Darrell making a blueberry/raspberry cobbler in his Dutch oven
Cooking in the fire.....
Amazing!
Bethany and baby Joel
Family gathered around the campfire.....
.....roasting marshmallows for smores
Essie
Elijah taking off his gooey marshmallow!
Mima (Ginny) and Joel
Selah and Essie picking blue huckleberries
Saturday we all took off on a hike (except Grandpa)
Along the trail we find Indian Peace Pipe plants
Silver Falls, out of Ohanapecosh
The glacial water was very pretty
On top of the falls, Mima with Selah and Essie
Some of us hike on to the The Grove of the Patriarchs, a grove of very old and huge trees!
Suspension Bridge
Roots of a fallen tree
We could not reach hands around the entire diameter of this tree.
Ian, Lela and baby Megan lunching at the top of the falls.
Back at camp, Ryan, Scott and Ian decide to brave the 43 degree water for a short swim! Brrrr! 
Evans Lake, on the trail to Boardman Lake
Boardman Lake Hike
The water was perfect for swimming!
Big 4 Ice Caves Hike
Darrell cooling off in entrance to a cave
The Family
Run-off falls
Along the trail
Stillaguamish River
Saturday we went on a hike to Upper Priest Lake........all but Marshall. The hike was an easy one, though it was hot and muggy with a lot of mosquitoes.
Upper Priest Lake
Molly, Eric and Lela resting at the lake.............
After the hike we all went to the lake for a time of reading in the sun,
sleeping in the sun,
and just plain swimming and cooling off in the lake. The water was not too cold, surprisingly enough, since the area was covered in snow just 2 weeks prior! In this photo are Scott and Bethany L., me, and Molly and Eric.
Scott and Bethany L. enjoying the water........
I am trying to pull Darrell into the water here..........
Scott, Ginny and Ryan..........
Sisters Molly and Lela are so tiny they can share a tube!
Sunday morning this yearling moose wandered through the campground. It is bigger than the car!
Butterflies populated the sandy beaches in their frenzy to mate.
Bike riding was another treat..............
Sunday morning also brought a highly intense and rousing game of croquette. Scott was the winner after all the playing around fallen trees, pine cones, valleys and hills and lots of shouting!
Cousin Marshall with Ginny and I
The parents (hubby and I) brought hamburgers to make.........
Scott and Bethany cooked a delicious dinner of chicken with capers, mushrooms, lemon juice and noodles that was so tender you could cut it with a fork............we all preferred that dinner, big wonder why..........
However, Darrell made a blueberry cobbler in his dutch oven buried in the fire that rivaled the smores.............
Molly, Bethany L and Lela.........
Each day ended around a warm campfire eating smores, dough gobs, roasted marshmallows and having interesting conversations. It was a grand time!