I guess you could say I got a bee in my bonnet or maybe it was just the impending new year and realizing I didn't get outside hiking nearly as much as I had wanted to this last year. Either way, yesterday I was googling online and decided that we would wrap up 2012 with a hike as a family. Where would we go??? I punched in some stuff to do a search online and came up with some options. Wanting to stay within an hour of home we decided on Lena Lake. It looked to be a great option. Not too far (about 5 miles for lower Lena Lake hike) and only about 45 minutes from us. So we woke up this morning, packed up a lunch and headed out stopping at the ranger station along the way just in case we needed some kind of pass to go into the park. We were very politely informed we were welcome to head up towards Lena but it was very possible we would be unable to get to the trail head. P-shaw is what we thought. We have a Jeep, chains and know how to drive in the snow. It will be no problem. She suggested we wait until we get up there and then, if we do, we can get the pass right at the trail head. It is almost as if she knew we were in for an adventure.
We hopped back into the "Jeep" and headed towards the Canal. It took us a little longer to get the Forest Road 25 than we thought but once there our excitement for our impending adventure grew. The girls snapped out of their almost slumber and began excitedly looking out the window to see if they could see any wild animals being sure to ask every 15 seconds if we were there yet. Had our vehicle come to a stop yet? No, but they insisted on asking if we were there yet anyway.
We only had to go 7.5 miles up this road to get to the trail head . . . . we made it about a mile before we hit snow and by 2 miles we were driving in the only tracks in the 1+ feet of ice packed snow that was on the road. Driving outside of the tracks wasn't even an option. Robb commented that it was almost like being on a roller coaster because our tires just went the way the previous tracks led us. As we jerked here and there in our "Jeep" and Olyvia asked every 15 seconds if we were there yet and I gripped the handle on the door as we jerked too close to the edge of a cliff I was sure we were going to go over, Ellie all of a sudden broke into an exaggerated rendition of Silent Night Holy Night. All I could do was break out laughing. It was like an episode from a television show that none of us were getting paid for. We reached about 4 miles in and Robb said we should probably stop as the snow was only getting deeper and he was already concerned as to how we were going to turn around. So we stopped and got out, deciding to just explore from here. We really couldn't beat the view - it was beautiful.
And the girls didn't seem to mind that it wasn't where we were supposed to be going. Personally I think they were just glad to be out of the car. I know I was. :) And so we spent the next hour hiking along the road, following the river and exploring the woods.
Upon returning to our "Jeep" we made our first attempt at turning around. Oh I should probably mention here that we discovered we, in fact, do not have our chains. Yay! Using a log I found on the side of the road I dug out some of the snow in the middle of the tracks to allow for the tires to more easily turn around. Attempt 1 - completely unsuccessful.
Robb decided it would be best to just drive in reverse the 4 miles we drove to get where we were. Ok. Why not? And so we proceeded to go backwards. Me clutching the handle on the door trying not to gasp every time we came near the edge of the cliff. I was sure at any moment we would pitch over the side and be unable to stop seeing as we weren't even able to get enough traction to turn around. We came to an area that appeared to be a better place to turn around and again attempted. I should probably also mention here that it happened to be at a narrow place in the road flanked on one side by a steep drop off into a ravine. Yay again! I decided it would be best to close my eyes and pray. So I did. Attempt 2 - completely unsuccessful.
Reverse for another few hundred feet and then again Robb thought we had come to a place that would be better suited for turning around and began to attempt to reverse the "Jeep" to the right into the first part of a three point turn. Instead of pulling backwards and then coming to a stop, our vehicle seemed to fish tail and then swing around to then land, yes land, in a position perpendicular to the road and then get stuck. No forward motion successful. No reverse motion successful. I meekly suggested maybe we needed to get out and attempt to dig out the snow around the tires. Robb quietly and in muffled tones agreed and we both got out and attempted to dig out the tires. I will mention here that this is when we discovered we had no implement useful for shoveling. We came on this adventure fully prepared.
While we were working on digging out the tires I hear the door of our "Jeep" open, lots of giggling and then "don't eat the yellow snow." I froze. What? No way. I stood up. Yep. My youngest daughter was off on the side of the road going to the bathroom. She saw me and exclaimed "Look mom, I am going in the woods all by myself. I have never done this before." Oi vei.
I returned to my digging. 10 minutes later Robb said it should be good. I stepped aside, he was able to slide the "Jeep" into a position that faced it in the correct direction.
Today, this last day of 2012, we made memories!
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