Happy Father's Day Joseph!

The highest form of adoration is emulation....

You are definitely adored!

Father and Sons Campout 2009

By Joseph

On May 29 - 30 I had the sweet adventure of taking my son Aaron camping on the Father and Son's outing for the Woodland 1st Ward. We camped on the property of Bruce Cunningham in a beautiful forested area off the Mormon Emigrant Trail road in the lower Sierra Nevada range around 3500 feet elevation. I love this area. After a great evening with the bretheren learning some fascinating church history from the wilderness area about the Mormon Battalion and the California Gold Rush and eating smores and red vine licorice, Aaron was ready to sleep in the tent. He was so excited to be in the mountains and sleeping under the stars. I had only brought one 3 inch thick foam pad and a 1 inch thick mini-pad. I changed Aaron into his Cars pajamas and he promptly laid on top of both pads, one stacked on the other and fell asleep before I could get my boots off. I laughed to myself and happily slept on the hard ground. I arose early and enjoyed the delicious continental breakfast the High Priests prepared and waited for Aaron to wake up.... and waited.... and waited.... while enjoying my priesthood bretheren's company. Finally around 9 a.m. he popped out of his sleeping bag with a big smile and ready for Breakfast. He exited the tent and with a smile proudly announced to Bishop Brooks, "I sept in a tent!"

On the property were a couple tractors that Aaron climbed on and pretended to operate. He LOVES vehicles of most any size and sort; Cars, Trains, Airplanes, Motorcycles, Bull-dozers, and my favorite - Bicycles.

Around 11 a.m. we said our good bye's and I drove with Aaron up to 7,000 feet elevation to hike. We parked between Kirkwood Ski Resort and Caples Lake near the trailhead to Margaret Lake. It was a 2+ mile hike and we set off with gusto to hike to the lake. Along the way I decided to submit to Aaron's pace of "exploration and wonder" over "destination or bust" and we had a lovely time. When hiking with Aaron he loves to 1) splash in every puddle, 2) climb on top of every boulder, 3) throw every small rock, and 4) pick up every stick. We probably made it 1.5 miles before it started to thunder and rain, so I put Aaron in the toddler backpack and doubletimed it back to the car. There was ample water from the mountain thunderstorm with streams to cross (and throw rocks into) and even some spontaneous waterfalls from the run-off. I love the Sierra Nevada Range. I love the craggy pine, and the solid granite stone. I have made great memories cycling through the area south of Tahoe. I love my kids in the outdoors where they test their mettle against the elements and radiate the exuberance of youth! I love my son and look forward to many more adventures with my kids in the great outdoors - my home away from home!

After our hike we stopped by Caples lake for a picture. Breathtaking nature...breathtaking boy!

Aaron loves tractors and all motorized vehicles.

Aaron was tickled pink to discover some of the remaining winter snows along the trail.

This was actually a 50 foot granite slope that Aaron managed to climb all the way up (with a watching papa bear close by to catch in case he slipped :)

Aaron is so happy in the mountains. One of the meanings of the name Aaron is "exalted or high mountain".
The great outdoors are my favorite playground!

Snow and rain run-off has flooded some of these high mountain meadows.

Here we attempted a self photograph while crossing a natural log bridge that crossed a creek.

We stopped here and threw snow-balls from atop the boulders. Aaron was in heaven!

We discovered some swelling streams from the rainstorm. It was beautiful!

The bigger the obstacle, the more Aaron was determined to find a way up and over it! His confidence grew with every boulder! I love this boy.

Stinson Beach

I don't think we could have picked better weather for Stinson Beach. It was uncharacteristically warm for a day on a northern beach, but absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, or too windy, just right. We all enjoyed it. Oh, but the water was ice cold, which was actually a nice safety measure. It kept the kids from getting in too deep. There were a few times the waves knocked each of them over, and I think it took the breath out of them. I dipped Isaac's toes a few times and he gasped each time.

I love the ocean and the wet sand (I can't stand dry sand). I would love to be able to take my kids to the beach everyday. It's so fun to watch them play. We forgot to bring the sand toys, but it was great to see that you don't really need anything, just give a child some sand and water and they will play for hours. Now that's my kind of play!