Strate Family Elk Camp 2010

I love my family, BUT at 6:05 AM this morning, I was ready to trade every one of them for a one way ticket to anywhere but Spring City Canyon; specifically Pelican Point.

Every year the families (mom's dad's kids, cousins and this year for the first time Grandma Strate came!) go up the weekend before the Elk hunt to set up Elk camp for the Dad's to go the following weekend.  This year was NO exception.  We anticipate this trip every year, we set up camp, and then sleep over and go home the following morning.  It is a blast.  Everyone from the Parents to the kids look forward to it. 

 Let me tell you about this year...

Thanks to bossy Devin we got a good and early start heading up the canyon Saturday afternoon.  My awesome nephew Kyle talked his dad into letting him ride his motorcycle up the canyon and meet us up at the usual Elk camp site.  He let us get a head start (since bikes are so much faster then trucks) and somewhere along the trail the poor kid wrecked. 

Kyle- Post wreck

Kyle hanging out with Grandma

So, here's a picture of Kyle and another picture of "useless Kyle" because later that night his leg and ankle hurt so bad he was nauseous and wouldn't even eat the awesome smores we made.  

Aside from Kyle and his wreck, the craziness started right after dinner when Kodi and her cousin went to the outhouse (secluded area equipped with a potty chair and shovel).  Who knows WHAT she did or HOW she did it but after having used the facilities she comes back over to the camp fire with pee all over her pants and up the back of her shirt.  She must have started going and then thought it would be cool to do cart wheels or something... HOW is it possible to get that on the back of your shirt?  I can't figure that one out.  

We marched into the tent for a wet wipe bath.  ugh.

Kodi and her buddy Hailee Jo

 We made tin foil dinners, had smores, sat around the fire and had a nice evening. 

Kierstyn, Hailee Jo and Kodi

Larry Kyle Angela Hailee and Kierstyn

Devin Kodi and Amy

It was dark around 8:30 and everyone had worked so hard we decided to get the little kids ready for bed. Hailee decides she needs to go to the bathroom...again.  So, Grandma takes her.  I changed Kodi into her PJ's and laid down next to her. Hailee needs to go to the bathroom again, so Angela takes her. Kodi was exhausted and ready for bed so after a few minutes she fell asleep. About this time, Hailee needs to go potty again, so Kierstyn takes her.

When they return Hailee tells us she isn't feeling very well.  Whether she was sick or it was just fatigue from the day, she went through the nighttime phase that every parent is familiar with:  I am tired and I'm uncomfortable and it's WAY past my bed time.  We were able to easily remedy the grumpiness after one more trip to the potty and a couple glow in the dark neon light sticks- she finally went to sleep.  

Kierstyn sitting around the fire

We had a rude awakening about 11:30PM when Kierstyn announced she didn't feel well and bolted from the tent, making it (but barely) out of the tent before tossing her cookies (well, cookies, smores, tin foil dinner, etc...) She was sick every 15-30 minutes for the rest of the night.  We took care of her in shifts sitting outside, and laying with her inside, trying our best to to keep her warm and make sure the bucket was close by; the poor kid just couldn't seem to kick it.  Dev and Larry gave her a blessing and things seemed to slightly improve after that, but she was sick the rest of the night.   

Meanwhile back to Hailee, at this time we've made it to approximately 2:00AM.  While taking care of Kierstyn we tried to keep the two little girls asleep, but Hailee and Kodi both woke up.  Kodi woke up freaking out because she was in bed alone and she could see that Hailee had a glow stick and she didn't.  Since I was outside with Kierstyn, Devin moved down next to Kodi, gave her a glow stick and she went right back to sleep. Kierstyn then tried to lay down next to Grandma, so I made my way out to go to the bathroom.  When asked where I was going, I said "the bathroom" and Kyle calls out, "Hey, be careful with the B word!"  We were all cracking up because Hailee was obviously having potty issues.  She must love the potty chair grandma made for her because she literally went potty 6 times last night.   WOW - that kid can process fluid.  Devin told her he was going to nickname her "faucet".

So between Kierstyn being sick, Hailee peeing, and Kodi crying over glow sticks, we were all awake anyway so Angela thought it would be a good idea to refill her air mattress every other hour all night long, using the not so quiet battery operated pump.

That wasn't the least bit annoying...and we're all glad they didn't have to sleep on the hard ground. 

I bet Grandma was thinking the entire night that we were out of our ever-livin' minds for talking this up as a fun family outing.

At 2:30AM we felt as though it should be morning and contemplated packing up and driving home.  But we stayed, somewhere between 5 and 6 AM Angela took over with Kierstyn while Grandma, Larry and I crashed.  Ang took  Hailee to the potty (again), changed Kierstyn's clothes, blew up the air mattress and dozed (a little) all before the sun finally came up. 

Here are some pictures of the worst camping trip EVER.  

We were blessed that no one was seriously hurt, but the guy's will have a hard time talking their families into returning to Pelican Point for a fall camping trip anytime soon.  

Packing up to head home

Poor sick Kierstyn

Elk Tent

Kierstyn and Hailee have both vowed to never return.  Angela said that next year no one under 40 gets to go - which is great for me because I'm only 33. 

Kodi fell asleep on Aspen during the drive home

Right before we left Kodi actually dumped handfuls of dirt and bottled water on the dog. Because she was "just seeing what her black coat would look like with both dirt and water..."so it's only fitting that the dirtiest little girl named Kodi falls asleep on the dirtiest black dog in Utah.