The view at Fishing Cove was unreal. The pictures I saw online don’t do it justice, the pictures I took don’t do it justice, and certainly my words won’t do it justice. I hope everyone gets to come here to see it. You’ll have to hike six kilometers in along a moderately difficult trail but that’s a small price for the payoff.  I could go on and on about the beauty but I’ll leave it at this.

The trail was fun and wild with roots and rocks. Although it was steep and challenging at times, it was not nearly as strenuous or difficult as some would have you believe. We kept to a slow pace and took breaks every two kilometers. My spot has been reserved for months and for a change of pace when backpacking, I am not racing against others to claim the most beautiful spots. Nah, that race ended at 7:00:01 AM six months ago when I snagged the two most beautiful spots in the entire national park. So I won’t be forcing the double time march or worrying about the people passing us taking the last spot. Instead we cruise and chat and laugh, lots of down hill feels good now but is foreshadowing tomorrow’s return. The forest is beautiful, almost entirely split between the Fir and Spruce Christmas trees and a large variety of maple that makes you realize why they fly the maple leafs from a flag pole. One couple who passed us exchanged pleasantries and I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it, but it stuck with me anyway. She mentioned her kids stayed at home for this because “they’re old enough to say no.” I hope that’s not what this is, I think my kids are having a good time. We always try to make the experience really fun and I feel we always have had a good time. There are times where it gets hard and a child struggles but I struggle at times also. After last year at Diamond Lake, Maple has been talking all year about how she wants to hike and bring our tents and sleep in them for her Birthday. 

The first time approaching the cove and seeing my tent platform was majestic. Way better than I imagined even in my wild dreams. My spot is right on the cove, not up here in the forest with the riff raff. Right as we descend out of the tree line we are immediately hit by a constant strong wind with even stronger gusts. Our ultralight tents rely on precariously leaning hiking poles to hold up the shelter. Already a difficult task on a wooden platform with a new tent, the wind will make this a ferocious challenge. One that the other sites won’t have to put up with while setting up, or cooking, or drying off. We will see if it’s worth it. Just holding onto the tent is a challenge as it whips and flaps violently in the air while Amy tries to snatch each corner out of the sky and puts a rocks down around the perimeter, rocks carried up from the water by previously frustrated tenants. After enough rocks were added to hold it down we began tying off the ropes to anything possible while the wind was trying to stop us. Once we finished, I took pictures and admired my work. The tent didn’t look pretty but It’s standing strong in a barrage of wind. For breaks from the wind I run up to the other sites and relax for a moment, then repeat with tent two. We started early enough that by the time we got to camp we had an entire day to play after we set up. Set up was exhausting but once inside the tent, it was warm and calm, we’ve had beautiful weather and sun all day regardless of the wind. We eat some cheese and crackers with a side of sugary garbage then head down to the water to enjoy the day in our private cove. We tried to fish a little bit but it was more enjoyable to dig through the interesting rocks and watch the kids build a raft.

In the evening the wind died down enough for the stove to light and we make our ramen with a double side of sugary garbage. The forested area became filled with swarms of mosquitos as our sites stayed bug free even with less wind. This felt like a big win. A thick calm fog started to appear at sea and stayed for a while. At some point, I remember Everest turning to me and exclaiming that the clouds look really interesting, they were certainly unique and looked like tiered layers of cloud. About this second I realized it looked like a storm cloud forming right above us and as if out of a movie the fog rolled in and overtook us as if a witches spell. The air chilled and the mood changed instantly. Large rain drops start to fall as everyone starts sprinting for tents, Maple and Everest were with me when it all started and the instant darkness and roar of wind really made her scared. I rushed to get all of our supplies into bags and tents. The tents were left wide open to enjoy the views that existed two minutes prior. I tried to get them to go in their tent but Everest refused to go in without me, claiming I still needed help. He was awesome and we got it all. Everest said that some of the drops were starting to hurt. Hail. I told him I had to stay with Maple while he goes and closes our tent. He ran off like a hero. At this point Amy and Fitz came sprinting down the trail that lead back from the pit toilet. She threw my pack on my back and told me to run back to the boys. They were holding open the tent flap as I went diving through like Indiana Jones. We were soaked and needed to get our wet clothes off and crawl into our sleeping bags quickly. One of the tent poles begins to fail, I throw on my wet pants and run through the torrential downpour five feet away to fix it and got drenched beyond belief. The shaking tent was a little scary and Fitz curled up and was not enjoying it at all. All I wanted to do was lie there flat on my back in my bag and wait out this storm trying not to stress out, but that’s not going to work. I try to muster a big smile and remind the boys, Hey, I thought we were going to play poker tonight. The mood changed instantly and we used some little pebbles we gathered at the beach for ante. They distracted me as much as I had intended to distract them and before long we saw a bright but growing ball of light shining through the tent wall. The sun was back. The rain turned to a drizzle and then disappeared. Amy and I emerged at about the same time with kids running behind us and that’s when it appeared; The most amazing sunset I have ever experienced. The wind died to nothing. The air was warm and calm. The sun set exactly at the spot midway between the ends of the cove. We all just sit and stare. One big beautiful moment. Although a mere 25 minutes had passed during the storm the camp felt like we had all just emerged from a twenty year nuclear winter. Soon everyone forgot about the storm and we just enjoyed the perfect end to the night. I’d find out that Amy read aloud to Maple from her book and that Maple was totally fine once in the tent. Later we debrief and decide that we need to completely rethink how we kept camp and we should have been way more prepared in the future with closed tents and everything tidy at all times. We used to be so strict about this and got a reminder. 

The storm also made me revisit what that woman said on the trail. Would the kids have said no if I told them this would happen, would they say no next time. I sat on the beach longer than anyone that night and when I returned Everest was still up and told me he loved the spot where we were sleeping. He went on to explain that he likes places without roads. When he asked me how many other backpacking trips we had left this summer I was still unsure which way he wanted that answer to go. I told him three more. Yes!!! He whispered under his breath. I was honest and told him what the woman said. He laughed and assured me that he loves our backpacking trips. And with that, the last of my worries evaporated. 

In the morning, we woke up at first light and I used the heavy rocks method to break down camp without it flying away. Anyone watching would have thought I was an Olympic champion of folding a tarp in the wind. The way I let it straighten out flat in the air and fold it as if a ghost held the other side was thing of beauty. The weather was so nice the hike out was a highlight. I felt the steep climb would be a downer on the last day but instead we all played games and chatted while we walked. In the steep sections Amy would disperse some Sour Patch Kids we would crush for strength. The same couple passed us again on the way out, my kids were laughing and singing a song when she passed.

Ive written before about how backpacking was a backbone of our relationship, its forced us to face challenges that are scary and to work through frustrations. Our relationship and us as individuals continually came out stronger in the end. I think backpacking has the same effect on us as a family and as people. It’s important to overcome adversity and to practice how you handle challenges and surprises. You learn to trust and rely on your family to help you. I got a chance to thank Everest for not abandoning me and helping me secure the camp. I could tell he has been through tough situations before and he kept calm and collected. When we discuss the trip now, we don’t even think to mention the storm, except to say how cool it was when the fog rushed in past us, but it will forever be one of those you-had-to-be-there family tales that pop up yearly and grow in lore. I think backpacking has had a positive effect on my family, and it’s fun, so let’s keep going.