At Kawishiwi River

Dr. Peds and our neighbor halfway down the street planned an almost spontaneous camping trip for Labor Day Weekend to introduce kidlets to the Boundary Waters. Because I was busy playing for a beautiful wedding on Saturday, I did no preparing or packing for this camping trip other than to pack my own bag, which was great! I felt pretty lazy! We went car camping at a National Forest campground next to the Kawishiwi River, and from there the two dads took all the big kids on a canoe ride in a very long rented canoe. They paddled Hegman Lake to see the pictographs. It was pretty much a perfect first canoe trip. Even though I didn’t participate because Mr. TOF wanted nothing to do with a canoe and needed a nap anyway, I heard all about how there was a portage, narrows and of course the perfect destination of pictographs to spark everyone’s interest in the affair.

Of course there were all the joys of car camping too, like smores, digging holes in dirt, riding out thunderstorms underneath a raintarp and in the tent, and amazing breakfasts cooked over a campfire. (Those dads know how to cook!) There were hammocks strung in between trees, and even a slack line, which was challenging and exciting for the kidets to try. There were games of Uno and checkers and fuzzy orange caterpillars. And plenty of mosquitos! Our campsite had amazing, gigantic red and white pine trees. The weather was a crazy assortment of everything from drizzle and thunderstorms, to hot and humid, to brisk and chilly with a refreshing breeze.

There was a little swimming beach at the river, and all the water loving kidlets loved playing and swimming. It was a frenzy. Mr. Trouble on Feet started out very tentative. When the other kids not in our group left, he ventured into the water, wading around a little bit. Before long though, watching those big kids way out in the water was just too dull, and he needed to join in. Bit by bit he crept deeper until he was in as far as his shoulders!

This is what happened when we made him come back out so that he was only waist deep. He can’t swim at all, but oh brother! He was furious that he couldn’t go out and join all the other kids who could swim.

We are pretty excited that he is getting less afraid of the water.