Our First Backpacking Trip

Here it is! Pictures and prose from our first backpacking trip. We drove to Manchester Beach in mostly good weather though by the time we arrived, it was spotting rain. The boys and I decided to make a go of it anyway. Here are the boys, gear packed and ready to go.



As you can see, the trail was fairly flat and it wasn't too wet when we started. We were a little damp from the rain on the grass. Then we hit the tall grass, and we got a little wetter. Then the rain actually started for real and we had to pull out the emergency garbage bags to keep the sleeping bags dry. I didn't get a picture of that because I didn't want to get the camera wet! And things were a little hectic as I was trying to keep to boys dry enough that they didn't end up hating camping for the rest of their lives!





A small part of the trail crossed the beach and we had to hike through damp sand. It was tough going but neither boy complained a bit. They were enjoying the adventure!



We arrived mostly dry and were very happy to find that our campsite was under the cover of huge cypress trees. They made a canopy that protected us from both wind and rain. It was actually very dry underneath those trees and we didn't need to worry about the rain at all.




Luckily, it didn't rain for very long and we were soon out on the beach adding to the drift wood shacks. Ryan was very proud after he figured out how deep to sink a log so that it would stand up by itself and not be easily knocked over.



We had a decent first night (I had cold feet, nothing new) and the boys slept so hot that we had moisture inside the tent instead of outside! I actually removed the rainfly the second night so that the vapor could more easily evaporate! We managed to sleep three of us in our two man tent with no problems.

The next day was full of adventure. We found wildlife - frogs the most exciting, but we also saw lots of birds and three seals.



We played in the sand and hiked on the beach.



Connor found a large abalone shell and a plastic float for fishing nets!



I took lots of pictures of wildflowers. It was hard not too as they were absolutely prolific. I have never seen so many different kinds in such a grand explosion of color before.



That evening we hit the beach again and the boys had fun figuring out all the different ways to have battles against the waves without getting wet. Ryan especially loved throwing logs onto the sand near the water to see how long it would take the tide to sweep it away and then bring it back on shore again.



The second night we all slept even better than the first. I think reading each night to the boys helped. We used a new candle lantern that provided good light and read a chapter from our latest book, just like we do at home. We woke very early the next morning because I heard rain drops through the canopy of trees. It was starting to rain and hard. So at 5:30 am we were up and breaking camp.



Our hike out was a little wetter than our hike in. Not constant rain, but enough to get us pretty damp. Poor Ryan had the wettest shoes and socks! He really needs a pair of hiking boots!



Here is our last view of the trail out. We had to hike around this lagoon to camp at the trees in the distance.



We topped off a great trip by eating an excellent breakfast in Point Arena before heading home. I have two troopers for sons and they are already to go camping again. Connor actually got upset this morning and said, "But it's been such a long time since we went camping!" I don't think many seven year olds would have hiked with such vigor and without a complaint. I'm a very lucky mom.