Yellowstone-Mt. Washburn

We are home! Washed, washed again, and de-slivered. We had a fabulous trip. I think you can tell by the amount of dirt and smoke-smell we brought home with us. Plus, I ate FIVE banana boats on this trip. Glorious. It rained on us the last night and was FREEZING that morning, so we gave up trying to dry everything off and just put it in bags and drove off. So today we spent a good portion of time doing loads and loads of laundry, putting up our tent to air out, spraying off our tarp, and I even set up and scrubbed down our camping chairs because they REEKED. So I guess that means we're ready to head out again, any good ideas?

My best friend Aleesha and her family are moving all the way to Philadelphia so her husband Adam can go to podiatry school, so we decided to have one last hurrah...at Yellowstone! We had two 2 year olds (well, Ruthie turns 2 next week) a 1 year old, and a six month old. It was definitely a little different than the trip we took as newlyweds together to Zions, four kids different! But we had a fabulous time and I wish we could go back again right now. I never realized how massive Yellowstone is. We stayed in Canyon Campground which is in about the middle of the park. It took us 45 minutes to drive to Old Faithful but on the other days we did hikes that were closer to our campsite. Sterling and I were talking about it and saying how if we went again, we could spend a week doing entirely different things! I feel like we made some good picks as far as hikes and sights went and really got a great variety of views and experiences. 

Will and Lydia

Ruthie and Liam. They looked like this the entire trip. 2 year old ragamuffins.

The very first day we hiked Mt. Washburn. 7 miles round trip and about a 10,000 foot climb. Carrying 4 children. It was quite the feat but incredibly worth it. The view was incredible. It was called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Majestic. Awe-inspiring. It was just absolutely amazing. It made for some sore feet the next day, but luckily we had somewhat planned for that and it worked out well. Sterling got a bloody nose that night from the intense climb, but there were no lasting effects. 

 I carried Will with a pack over top of him. He didn't seem to mind.

Sterling and I kept saying it was like climbing Ben Lomond only the view was spectacular the ENTIRE hike! Also, there were supposed to be lots and lots of mountain goats but we never saw any, but I did get bit by a horse fly and I hit it with my hand and got blood all over my finger and I still have a giant sore on my neck!

 Adam and Aleesha let us borrow their boba baby carrier. We had brought our Kelty, which allows for us to pack more, and our snugli, which allows for Will to face outwards and he really likes that. But we really liked the boba carrier because we could switch it between Will and Ruth with only small adjustments and we could wear it on front or back. It was a nice change to be able to switch kids back and forth with Sterling throughout our hikes.

See that red in Sterling's goatee and sideburns? And he always says the red hair comes from my side...

I really like that tree.

So happy!

 Will was a pretty happy camper the entire time except for a few episodes which can be forgiven because he is teething. It made Old Faithful a little less spectacular, but really, he is so cute it is more than worth the trouble! I just love that boy!

Staring off a cliff while eating lunch.

Right behind us is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. A nice man took our picture and told us we were amazing for getting up there with four kids. He boosted our spirits enough that we did, eventually, make it to the top! 

The top!

Ruthie kept telling that chipmunk that those rocks are "MINE!"

That is the trail we hiked up!

This is looking back up at the top. I was so happy to see bathrooms at the top of the hike! They might have only been latrines but they smelled lemony-fresh and I was happy.

Running down the trail to get out their energy. 

Looking at the Grand Canyon on our way down.

My backpack is falling down because Ruth got down, but the wildflowers bordering the trail are so beautiful!

I love those green, green hills behind us!

It was a beautiful hike. There were wildflowers the entire way, absolutely incredible scenery, and it felt like you could see the beauty of Yellowstone for miles and miles. It was a bit long for the 2-yr-old crowd, but they really did great considering. The temperature was also amazing and I was so glad we decided to go north at the end of July--it was cold at nights but the days were great for packing kids and hiking. All the sites we read said that this was a must-do hike and I wholeheartedly agree. It was probably the best hike I have ever done in my life. I loved it so much! Thanks Yellowstone for a perfect day!